
Rapper NBA YoungBoy, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump last year, announced he has left the U.S. permanently. The 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, said that he is now residing in South Korea. While speaking on the podcast Open Thoughts, he was asked why South Korea. He joked that he chose it because it is “out the way.” He added of the Asian nation, “I get the energy too. It’s very safe here and very clean.” And when asked if he would ever return to the U.S., he boldly said, “Never in my life.” About his 13 children back home in the U.S., he noted that the “most important thing is probably my kids,” but added, “That’s what they have planes for.” Trump pardoned the Louisiana-born rapper in 2025, while serving time in federal prison on federal gun charges stemming from his status as a convicted felon.. He expressed gratitude to the president at the time, saying, “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.”


















