The Untold Truth Of David Schwimmer And Zoe Buckman

Friends catapulted David Schwimmer to superstardom, and he remains synonymous with his character, Ross Geller, to this day. But despite being a huge star with an international following, Schwimmer has managed to keep much of his private life under wraps, and that includes his marriage to feminist artist, Zoë Buckman, which ended in divorce in 2017. One detail the world at least knows of their relationship? They share one daughter together, Cleo Buckman Schwimmer, who was born in May 2011.

Clearly not the typical A-List power couple, Schwimmer and Buckman only occasionally opened up about their life together. Discussing her approach to her artistry and fame in 2016, Buckman told Interview, "I come from a really creative family; both on my mother and father's side there were a lot of bohemian theater people. ... I just personally never want to act; I'm not at all interested in that. But then look at who I married ... so it's like you run away from something but yet you bring it into your world."

Intrigued by these boho-Hollywood exes? Join us as we explore the untold truth of David Schwimmer and Zoë Buckman.

According to IMDb, in 2006 David Schwimmer was in London from October 21 until December 8, 2006, to direct the comedy Run Fatboy Run starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton. Multiple reports have revealed that it was during this stint in London that Schwimmer met his future wife, Zoë Buckman, an artist and photographer who was, at the time, waitressing at the Cuckoo Club.

Of the burgeoning relationship, a source reportedly told News of the World (via Metro UK), in March 2007, "David's always seeing loads of girls but he's stuck with Zoë for a few weeks now." The source continued, "He definitely fancies her like mad." The publication noted that Schwimmer had allegedly been dating Buckman for two months when news of their romance broke, which would potentially place their first meeting in January 2007, after shooting on the film had already wrapped. Does that mean Schwimmer stuck around the UK just for Buckman? If the rumors about the sultry start of their romance are true, that wouldn't be hard to believe. 

Metro UK also revealed, "The couple were spotted drinking champagne and dancing provocatively at London's Aura club," with a source telling News of the World, "When they danced to some sexy R&B tracks it got very close and very, very steamy." It sounds like love at first sight to us.

When David Schwimmer started dating Zoë Buckman, he was only temporarily spending time in England while he worked on his feature film directorial debut Run Fatboy Run. However, it was inevitable that Schwimmer would need to return to the United States once filming wrapped. According to People, London-based Buckman decided to swap England for America when her relationship with Schwimmer became more serious. The tab noted that Buckman is said to have "left her home in north London and moved to Los Angeles to be with him." Obviously, moving to an entirely different country is a huge undertaking for anyone, but it shows how serious the artist was about her new boyfriend.

While it's unclear when exactly Buckman moved to the U.S., Los Angeles Magazine reported in 2018, "She was born in East London, but has lived in New York City for the past 11 years," which would mean she relocated to the United States sometime in 2007. Presumably, Buckman joined Schwimmer in his now-controversial townhouse in New York City, and as revealed to Interview, she went on to study at the International Center of Photography in the city, before graduating in 2009. In May 2011, Hackney Gazette mused about the possibility of Schwimmer and Buckman returning to London, with the paper claiming "there have been rumours the pair have bought a home in Stoke Newington," but that never seemed to transpire.

While many celebrities have glamorous weddings, photos of which they often share with magazines or on social media, David Schwimmer and Zoë Buckman kept their 2010 wedding on the down low. In fact, the couple's wedding was such a big secret that the general public didn't even find out that Ross Geller had tied the knot until months later. In October 2010, People reported, "David Schwimmer has been secretly married to his British girlfriend Zoë Buckman for four months, the actor's rep confirms." The publication noted that Schwimmer and Buckman "tied the knot in a small private ceremony in early June."

It was the first marriage for both Schwimmer and Buckman, and in many ways, it makes sense that the Friends star would want to keep his nuptials private. In 2016, Schwimmer opened up about his fame during The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast. He explained, "The effect of celebrity ... made me want to hide under a baseball cap and not be seen. And I realized after a while that I was no longer watching people; I was trying to hide." However, just before meeting Buckman, Schwimmer hinted that he may be finally ready to settle down, and told People in 2006 that it "will happen when it feels right ... Maybe part of me is waiting for myself to slow down a little and be ready to stay put. I'm confident it's gonna happen."

While David Schwimmer kept his marriage to Zoë Buckman secret at first, the couple didn't wait very long after getting engaged to tie the knot. Schwimmer's rep confirmed the actor's engagement to Entertainment Weekly in March 2010, and the couple's June 2010 nuptials were confirmed to the publication months later. As Buckman and Schwimmer had reportedly been dating one another since early 2007, they would have been together for just over three years when they got engaged. And while Schwimmer was 43-years-old when he got married, Buckman was 24. 

While not exactly a whirlwind romance overall, that's certainly a brief engagement by most standards — and a definite pivot from Schwimmer's previous stance on intimacy. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Schwimmer indicated that the intense nature of his celebrity may have contributed to his reluctance to get hitched. He revealed, "It was pretty jarring and it messed with my relationship to other people in a way that took years, I think, for me to kind of adjust to and become comfortable with." As well as finding his relationships to others tricky, Schwimmer told The Telegraph in 2020, "I waited a long time to decide to marry. But I took it just as seriously — I would say even more so, because I waited to decide until I thought: 'Right, I'm going to start this chapter of my life now, and see it through.'"

David Schwimmer became a household name playing the hopeless but loveable Ross Geller in Friends. Meanwhile, Zoë Buckman is an internationally recognized feminist artist, whose work often addresses abuse, reproductive health, and women's rights. Even though their career paths couldn't seem further apart, there is some overlap between Schwimmer and Buckman's working lives and core beliefs. Just as Buckman is a staunch advocate for survivors of abuse, Schwimmer has been vocal about the need to end sexual harassment. In 2018, he wrote for NBC News about his mother's career as a feminist lawyer who "was subjected to sexual harassment and a lot of discrimination, chauvinism and sexism — by judges, other lawyers, even clients."

In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, Schwimmer reaffirmed his commitment to women's rights and said, "I don't know a woman in my life that has not been harassed in some way." He's on the Board of Directors of The Rape Foundation, and in 2018 he partnered with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) to launch #ThatsHarassment, a campaign aimed at preventing sexual harassment. Schwimmer also explored female abuse when he directed the 2010 movie Trust, which focuses on a teenager who gets involved with a man online who turns out to be a pedophile posing as someone much younger. As the actor told The Guardian, "I'm very aware of my own privilege as a heterosexual white male."

In April 2017, David Schwimmer and Zoë Buckman revealed their split in a statement to USA Today. The couple explained, "It is with great love, respect and friendship that we have decided to take some time apart while we determine the future of our relationship." They continued, "Our priority is, of course, our daughter's happiness and well being during this challenging time, and so we ask for your support and respect for our privacy as we continue to raise her together and navigate this new chapter for our family." And it would seem that the couple has stuck to its word, as they continue to happily co-parent their daughter, Cleo Buckman Schwimmer, while also remaining friends.

In June 2020, Zoë and David took part in a Black Lives Matter march in New York City together, sharing photos from the event online. Zoë revealed on Instagram that she had joined the march "with my comrade and co-parent [David Schwimmer]." David shared the same snap taken with his ex and explained, "We're no longer a couple, but [Zoë Buckman] and I are parents of a nine year old, and fellow advocates for social justice and reform. We marched in honor of the countless black lives lost to racial violence." Even though they're not romantically involved any more, Zoë and David appear to have maintained a completely healthy relationship. You love to see it. 

Despite splitting up, David Schwimmer and Zoë Buckman remain committed to co-parenting their daughter, Cleo Buckman Schwimmer, who "was born at home, in our bedroom, on Mother's Day," in 2011, Buckman told The Glow. David raved about his ex in an interview with The Guardian and said, "We're still great friends and, touch wood, we've worked out a way to be really respectful and loving and caring and flexible in terms of our co-parenting." The Friends star has also made it clear that Cleo is his number one priority. In a 2020 interview with The Telegraph, the actor described fatherhood as "profoundly transformational." He explained, "In the first 40 years of my life work came first, and after she came into this world I was like: 'Well, that's out the window.' Now it's a different game. She comes first, no matter what."

It's obvious that Cleo is at the center of both David and Zoë's worlds. In August 2019, Zoë shared a photo of Cleo on Instagram with the caption, "Co-parenting with Schwim is one of my life's greatest privileges. Look at the experiences he gives our baby. She's come back from their trip taller in the soul as well as the legs." And in another post, Zoë shared a photo of Cleo with a shaved head and revealed her admiration for her daughter. She wrote, "I see how kids today challenge norms and standards in a way that we didn't, and that, amongst other things, gives me hope!"

In a scary turn of events, Zoë Buckman, and her daughter, Cleo Buckman Schwimmer, reportedly found themselves in a precarious situation when they rented an Airbnb in London in 2020. In screenshots obtained by The Sun, Buckman wrote in a review of the property, "This place is unsafe!" The reason that Buckman and her daughter had such a bad experience in the property is because they allegedly "experienced violence and harassment from a man on the ground floor, and the hosts did nothing to help protect us," according to the artist's review.

Buckman further detailed the horrifying stay and wrote, "Other residents of the building confirmed the man is violent ... The apartment smells horrible and the common areas are a total mess. ... We fled because of the threats and they refused to refund us." David Schwimmer's ex also revealed that she'd had a creepy experience outside the property allegedly involving a man using drugs. Buckman reportedly confirmed to The Sun that it was her Airbnb account that left the negative review, so it would seem that not all holiday rentals are what they appear to be online.

In October 2019, Zoë Buckman shared a selfie on Instagram featuring herself, David Schwimmer, the late-singer Amy Winehouse, and Amy's ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Buckman wrote of the snap, "Cherish. Am cleaning out my phone (feels so good) and finding some goodies. Heart beats out my chest. #Amy." While fans might be surprised to see the Friends star at a Winehouse gig, the timing actually makes a lot of sense. The Daily Mail reported on Winehouse's April 2007 performance at the Dublin Castle pub in Camden, north London, and wrote, "A ripple goes through the crowd as former Friends star David Schwimmer, 'disguised' beneath a baseball cap, pushes his way to the front of the queue through the swirling masses and is allowed entrance."

In early 2007, Schwimmer had reportedly just started dating Buckman, who was born and bred in London, just like Winehouse. And it would seem that early into their relationship, Schwimmer and Buckman "had planned to see English jazz-soul singer Amy Winehouse" in March 2007, "but when she canceled," the actor took his date to a club instead, per the Sunday Times. In other words, they were clearly fans.

Still not convinced? When Buckman's Brooklyn home was featured in Architectural Digest in January 2020, it was revealed that the artist has "a tear-out from friend Amy Winehouse's first LP" displayed on her wall. And in 2018, Buckman appeared on the podcast, Mixtape Assembly, where she paid "homage to one of London's finest, Amy Winehouse." 

David Schwimmer reportedly first met Zoë Buckman at the beginning of 2007, when he was 40-years-old, and she was 21. The exes may have had a 19-year age difference, but as their behavior post-split has shown, they have nothing but respect and admiration for one another. Having decided to end their marriage in 2017, after ten years together, Schwimmer and Buckman have focused on co-parenting their daughter, while continuing to work in their respective professions. But it would seem that Schwimmer has now made the decision to begin dating again, post-divorce.

In November 2019, Us Weekly reported that, according to a source, the famous actor had been dating "a 29-year-old woman named Katie Markowitz." The publication's source reported that the, at the time, 53-year-old Friends icon and his rumored beau "met at a bar where he bought her a drink." And with a 24-year age gap, it would seem that the former TV paleontologist has a type. However, Us Weekly also noted that, when contacted for comment, Markowitz denied that she was dating Schwimmer, so it's unclear whether the actor is currently in a relationship or not.

Divorce is rarely a pleasant experience, but David Schwimmer and Zoë Buckman seem to have approached it in the most mature way possible, from maintaining a friendship to continuing to raise their daughter together. In 2020, Schwimmer spoke to The Telegraph about getting divorced and said, "I wouldn't say my experience was harder than anyone else's." Elaborating on his feelings about divorce, Schwimmer told The Guardian, "Anyone would say the same thing, but of course it's heartbreaking. You feel somewhat responsible and a sense of failure — and you grieve. I certainly didn't get married with the idea that it wouldn't last. I really believed it would."

Meanwhile, Buckman got candid about her experience of splitting from Schwimmer during an interview with artnet news in 2019. Buckman described working on an art show during 2016, right before the presidential election, and said, "I felt like there was this real war on women ... and I was also at the time separating out of my marriage." The artist continued, "I was in a fight at home and in a fight politically ... I was working with my wedding dress and other women's wedding dresses for a long time. My studio was home to a lot of broken dreams and failed marriages." 

Despite the obvious sadness attached to the couple's split, it seems that Schwimmer and Buckman are now moving on with their lives in a positive way.