NBA YoungBoy Says He Has Permanently Left the U.S. for South Korea After Receiving Trump Pardon

NBA YoungBoy is beginning a dramatically different chapter of his life far from the United States, revealing that he has relocated to South Korea and has no intention of moving back.

The 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, discussed the move during an appearance on Funny Marco’s Open Thoughts podcast on Tuesday, August 11.

Asked why he chose South Korea, YoungBoy initially responded with humor, saying he wanted somewhere that was “out the way.” He then offered a more serious explanation, saying he appreciated the environment and sense of security he had found there.

“It’s very safe here and very clean,” he said.

The move places the Louisiana-born artist thousands of miles away from the country where he built his music career, raised his family and faced years of legal complications.

When Funny Marco asked whether YoungBoy could imagine returning permanently to the United States, the rapper gave a blunt response.

“Never in life,” he said.

The statement was particularly striking given YoungBoy’s extensive family ties in the United States.

The rapper is the father of 13 children, and when asked how living abroad affects his relationship with them, he acknowledged that his children remain the most important reason he has to maintain a connection to the U.S.

“There’s nothing there for me at all. The most important thing is probably my kids,” he said.

YoungBoy then suggested that international travel would allow him to remain involved in their lives despite the distance.

“That’s what they have planes for,” he added.

His decision to leave the United States comes after a turbulent period involving federal criminal cases, incarceration and, ultimately, a presidential pardon.

In December 2024, YoungBoy was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison in connection with weapons-related charges.

According to the Associated Press, he was released in March 2025 after receiving credit for time he had already served.

The following month, he was ordered to complete the remainder of his sentence under home confinement.

Then, in May 2025, President Donald Trump granted YoungBoy a pardon, removing a major legal burden that had followed the rapper through an already complicated period in his career and personal life.

YoungBoy publicly thanked Trump following the decision.

“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” he said at the time.

The pardon represented a major turning point for an artist whose career has frequently unfolded alongside high-profile legal problems.

For YoungBoy, the opportunity to relocate appears to have become part of a broader effort to separate himself from the circumstances that defined much of his life in the United States.

His comments on Open Thoughts suggested that South Korea offers him a sense of distance, calm and stability that he did not believe he could find at home.

YoungBoy did not frame the relocation as a temporary experiment.

Instead, his declaration that he would “never” move back indicates that he sees his new home as part of a permanent shift.

That decision is notable because YoungBoy’s career has been deeply rooted in American rap culture.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he rose to prominence through a relentless stream of mixtapes, albums and online releases, developing one of the most dedicated fan bases of his generation.

His emotionally raw style, prolific output and direct connection with listeners helped him become one of the most commercially successful rappers of his era.

YoungBoy also became known for maintaining an unusually strong presence on digital platforms.

Even during periods when he was restricted by legal circumstances or personal issues, his music continued to generate enormous streaming numbers.

His success was built largely through a loyal audience that followed him closely online rather than through the traditional celebrity circuit.

That digital connection could make living abroad considerably easier from a professional perspective.

Unlike artists whose careers depend heavily on frequent physical appearances in American entertainment centers such as Los Angeles, New York or Atlanta, YoungBoy has already demonstrated that he can maintain a powerful relationship with fans remotely.

His move to South Korea therefore does not necessarily mean stepping away from music.

Instead, it may allow him to continue recording and releasing material while establishing greater physical distance from the environment that surrounded many of his past legal and personal problems.

His comments about safety are especially significant.

By describing South Korea as “very safe” and “very clean,” YoungBoy appeared to emphasize qualities that matter to him in his current stage of life.

The rapper has spent much of his adulthood under intense scrutiny.

His legal history has included multiple arrests, court proceedings and restrictions on where he could live and travel.

At various points, those circumstances affected both his career and his ability to move freely.

After receiving a presidential pardon, YoungBoy now appears determined to use that freedom differently.

Rather than immediately resuming life in the U.S., he has chosen to establish himself on the other side of the world.

His family situation, however, adds complexity to the decision.

As a father of 13, YoungBoy has repeatedly spoken about the importance of his children.

Living in South Korea creates obvious logistical challenges, particularly if most or all of his children remain based in the United States.

His response on the podcast suggested that he views those difficulties as manageable.

By saying, “That’s what they have planes for,” he implied that distance does not necessarily mean disconnection.

Still, the statement also underscored how committed he appears to remaining outside the United States.

YoungBoy’s relationship with his home country has long been complicated.

His music frequently reflects experiences involving poverty, violence, legal conflict, family responsibilities and emotional instability.

The move to South Korea could therefore represent more than a geographic change.

It may also reflect an effort to redefine his surroundings after years in which his public identity became closely tied to both extraordinary musical success and repeated legal trouble.

The presidential pardon created the conditions for that new beginning.

Before Trump’s intervention, YoungBoy had been navigating the consequences of his federal conviction.

His December 2024 sentence came after a legal process involving weapons-related charges.

Following his March 2025 release, his remaining sentence was transferred to home confinement.

Trump’s May pardon then altered that trajectory.

YoungBoy’s statement after receiving clemency focused on personal growth.

He did not simply thank the president for helping his career.

Instead, he described the pardon as an opportunity to continue developing in several areas of his life.

The phrase “as a man, as a father, and as an artist” suggested that he saw the legal relief as broader than a professional advantage.

His move abroad now appears consistent with that perspective.

South Korea offers a radically different cultural and social environment from the communities in Louisiana and elsewhere in the United States that shaped his early life.

For an artist accustomed to public attention and intense scrutiny, relocating internationally may also provide a level of anonymity and separation that is difficult to achieve in the U.S.

YoungBoy did not elaborate on how long he has been living in South Korea, whether his family members regularly visit him or how the move will affect future touring and recording plans.

He also did not indicate whether he intends to pursue permanent residency or another long-term immigration status.

What he made clear, however, is that he does not currently see the United States as a place where he wants to rebuild his life.

“There’s nothing there for me at all,” he said, with the exception of his children.

That comment may stand out as one of the clearest indications yet of how significantly his priorities have shifted.

For years, YoungBoy’s public story was closely tied to Baton Rouge, American rap culture, the criminal justice system and his complicated family life.

Now, he appears determined to create physical and emotional distance from much of that history.

His choice of South Korea is also unexpected within the context of American hip-hop.

While artists frequently spend extended periods overseas for touring, recording or personal reasons, permanently relocating to East Asia represents a much more substantial change.

YoungBoy appears comfortable with that choice.

His comments suggest that he values peace, security and privacy more heavily than proximity to the American music industry.

That could reflect a broader maturation process as he enters the next phase of adulthood.

At 26, YoungBoy has already experienced a career and personal life marked by extremes.

He became famous at a young age, accumulated millions of fans, became a father many times over and spent significant portions of his early adulthood dealing with legal restrictions.

The opportunity to live freely outside the United States may therefore feel fundamentally different from the conditions under which much of his career was built.

Whether South Korea becomes his permanent home remains something only time can confirm.

For now, however, YoungBoy is speaking about the move in absolute terms.

Asked directly whether he would ever move back to the United States, he did not hesitate.

“Never in life.”

For a rapper whose music and identity have always been deeply connected to where he came from, the statement signals a major personal transformation.

After a federal prison sentence, home confinement and a presidential pardon, NBA YoungBoy appears determined to use his newfound freedom to build a life far removed from the place where his career began — even if maintaining that distance means living thousands of miles away from his children and the American industry that made him famous.