The Real Reason Why Zooey Deschanel Split From Her 2nd Husband

Zooey Deschanel has led an interesting career throughout her time in Hollywood, all the way from starring in the holiday classic Elf to co-creating the indie duo, She & Him. But as time has worn on, it's her love life that has captivated the public's attention. It all started when Deschanel married Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard in September 2009, a pairing no one really saw coming. And just as fans were getting used to the pair, they announced their plans to divorce in January 2012. You can't win 'em all, right?

After taking some time to focus on work and herself, Deschanel met producer Jacob Pechenik while working on the movie, Rock the Kasbah. Things progressed quickly from there, with the two marrying in a secret June 2015 ceremony six months after their engagement. Then in August 2015, the couple welcomed their first child, Elsie Otter, followed by their son, Charlie Wolf in May 2017. All appeared well with the duo for years, and they even launched a business together. But their seemingly happy marriage dissolved in September 2019, with the couple releasing a joint statement confirming the news.

Although the breakup seemed chill enough, things took a curious turn when Deschanel was spotted out with a certain HGTV star weeks after the breakup. The sudden romance now has some fans wondering: What's the real reason why Zooey Deschanel split from her second husband? Join us as we unravel this perplexing separation.

In a turn of events no one saw coming, Zooey Deschanel has been linked to Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott. Deschanel and the HGTV vet were first spotted together on September 13 in Los Feliz, California, where they reportedly enjoyed a romantic dinner at eatery Little Dom's. What's particularly interesting about this development? The supposed date went down just seven days after Deschanel announced her separation from Jacob Pechenik.

As for details about the romantic outing, the two appeared smitten with one another. "Zooey and Jonathan kept looking at each other and smiling and sat closely, cuddling constantly throughout their meal. They looked very happy and casual," an insider told Hollywood Life. "They seemed giddy about one another and held hands as they arrived and whispered to each other often. It was really sweet."

Of course, it's fair to wonder how these two lovebirds met. It appears the fortuitous meeting occurred when they taped an August 2019 episode of Carpool Karaoke. Brothers and sisters everybody sing," Scott's brother, Drew Scott, captioned a selfie with Deschanel and her sister, Emily Deschanel. "Quick, we need a band name for @carpoolkaraoke!!!"

We don't know if Scott played a role in Deschanel's breakup, but it's clear these two have a good thing going.

As we pointed out, we can't say whether Jonathan Scott played a role in the demise of Zooey Deschanel's marriage. But what we can confirm? Scott is absolutely smitten with his new lady love, telling Us Weekly: "I am seeing someone. I'm a very private person, so I don't typically talk about that. It's definitely special for me because I am the guy who raises the bar in what I'm looking for in a partner. I was caught a little off guard. It was definitely a pleasant surprise." 

Although Scott didn't name Deschanel, we think it's safe to say she's his secret girlfriend. He did give the interview the same day of his supposed date with the actor, after all. 

What's more? Scott told Hollywood Life they just "clicked" after meeting while filming their Carpool Karaoke episode. "So yeah, ahead of time we didn't know and we'd never met either of them before, so it was funny that the day we sang on Carpool Karaoke, that's they very first time that we met either Zooey or Emily," he explained. "It's sometimes a little weird when you just get thrust on camera with people you've never met before but we just clicked."

Yep, it sounds like this connection was meant to be.

Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik adore being parents, so it's no surprise their breakup announcement centered around the well-being of their two kids. "After much discussion and a long period of contemplation we have decided we are better off as friends, business partners and co-parents rather than life partners," they said in a joint statement to People. "We remain committed to our business, our values and most of all our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy at this time."

Pechenik reiterated this sentiment again, just one day after Deschanel was spotted out with Jonathan Scott. "Yeah, everything is amicable and we have two beautiful children together," he told Hollywood Life. "We've been raising them and we're going to continue to raise them, and take great care of get them... I'm happy." 

Who knows, maybe the two decided to split because it's what's best for their kids. As the two noted, they're better off as co-parents in the end.

Although Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik are both in the entertainment industry, the life of an actor is much than different than that of a producer. And it seems like the exes' personalities are a tad mismatched, with Deschanel appearing more outgoing than Pechenik. Want some proof? Look no further than their Instagram accounts. Deschanel's IG is public, while Pechenik's is private. It might seem like a small detail, but how someone operates on social media can say a lot about who they are as a person.

Furthermore, it sounds like Deschanel has more in common with her rumored new beau, Jonathan Scott. "He has a great sense of humor," a source told People. "They have a lot of the same interests. They both love music and movies." The insider continued, "It's new, but they are having a lot of fun together."

Sometimes you need more than love to make a relationship work, and it would make perfect sense if the two split over personality differences. It's a pretty common reason, right?

Some fans might be wondering about the timeline of Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik's split, as it all seemed to happen very quickly. After announcing their separation on September 6, Deschanel was spotted with Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott, a development that brought up many questions. 

As it turns out, the two were supposedly done for "months" before Deschanel and Scott were an item. "They are both very involved parents," a source explained to People. "They have been separated for several months. They are very private and are excellent parents and love their kids so much and want this to to be smooth for them." The insider continued, "It's all amicable, and they just want to be great parents for their kids."

If the exes were done for a while, it seems to suggest there were ongoing problems in their marriage. It sounds like after a period of struggle and intense consideration, the two decided to go their separate ways. Not much to see here, folks.

As we mentioned earlier, Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik appear to have different personalities. And although they both operate in the same world of Hollywood, it's possible Pechenik isn't used to celebrity life. This could have been a big issue in their relationship, a theory we came up with based on past comments Deschanel's ex-husband, Ben Gibbard, made in April 2015. When talking about his new record, he told Billboard: "The person I'm singing to is an amalgamation of people I came across living in Los Angeles. Being around people in entertainment who are fairly well-known, I noticed all these neuroses and psychoses."

Gibbard didn't name Deschanel and her pals outright, but we have a feeling he was referencing their time together. And there's a chance Pechenik felt the same way, but we're not 100 percent sure. If we had to guess, however, we'd say HGTV star Jonathan Scott is a better match for Deschanel, as he's someone who lives his life on-camera. To each their own, as the old adage goes.

Differences in religion can put a wedge between couples, but this doesn't sound like it's the case for Zooey Deschanel and her ex-husband, Jacob Pechenik. Although Deschanel originally didn't share the same religion as Pechenik, who's Jewish, she reportedly converted from Roman Catholicism to his faith. The actor supposedly made the switch shortly before their June 2015 wedding, with a source telling Us Weekly: "Zooey converted to Judaism for Jacob."

Not to mention, religion was never a big deal to Deschanel. "I don't attach myself to any one religion," she said (via Us Weekly). "My family is liberal. I was raised in the 'you can be whatever you want' kind of way. And in the end, I was like, 'Eh.'" Still, it could have been that "Eh," attitude that contributed to the cracks in their marriage.

We're not sure whether Deschanel will convert back now that her marriage is over, but that's ultimately a personal decision. We won't judge the singer either way. 

As you might know already, Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik co-founded The Farm Project, an organization that "reconnects people with their food." Its website goes on to state, "We want to make it easy for everyone to grow food themselves and connect directly with farmers in their communities. We aim to empower people to ask the right questions — because when we ask the right questions, we can make informed choices and vote with our dollars for a better food system."

We don't know about you guys, but this project sounds a tad ambitious. Although it's an admirable cause (no doubt about that), we can see how it might have put some stress on their relationship. Plus, there's always the potential for a business project between two partners to eclipse their romance. Possible evidence of this? Look no further than the duo's decision to attend a panel about their business, just a few months before their September 2019 split. If they were done at that time, it seems to suggest they value The Farm Project's standing above their personal feelings.

On the flip side, it's possible they had to attend the conference due to a contract. We guess we'll never know.