Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor Separate After 17 Years Of Marriage

The Meet the Parents actor and his wife have called it quits on their marriage.

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor announced their separation in a statement obtained by Entertainment Tonight. "With tremendous love and respect for each other, and the 18 years we spent together as a couple, we have made the decision to separate," the pair said. "Our priority will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends. We kindly ask that the media respect our privacy at this time."

Stiller, 51, and Taylor, 45, often worked together on-screen, sharing scenes in movies like Zoolander (2001), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), and Tropic Thunder (2008). They even met at work while filming a TV pilot for Heat Vision and Jack, a show which would never make it to air.

"[Our] relationship was a gradual thing that happened over a quick period of time, maybe seven or eight months," Stiller told Parade magazine of his immediate connection with Taylor. "We just started hanging out with each other and it developed into, 'Wow, this feels great. I really like this person. I think I love this person. I really do—I love this person.' It hit me out of the blue."

The pair, who married in 2000, have two children together, daughter Ella Olivia and son Quinlin Dempsey.