Ben Stiller Confirms What We Suspected About His Marriage

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have been a long-time dynamic couple in Hollywood, working and laughing together on films like "Zoolander" and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." Their chemistry on and off the big screen, along with their ability to keep out of speculating headlines for years, made the news of their separation in 2017 all the more shocking. The couple met in 1999 on a pilot and married not long after in 2000. Stiller and Taylor have two children — Ella and Quinlin — in their teens.

Stiller told Parade in 2016 what clicked with Taylor when they first got together: "I turned around one day and said, 'Wow, I'm happy with her. We connect. I'm enjoying being with her all the time!' It just felt right." That special feeling at the start of a relationship is heartwarming, but on how the couple made it work for nearly two decades before announcing the split, the "Walter Mitty" star spoke with certainty. "Because we both want to make it work. We both love each other, and we also laugh a lot," Stiller continued. "Growing up, I watched my parents. I never saw anybody more devoted than my father was to my mother. That set the bar very high for me."

The last few years have been difficult for Stiller with the death of both of his iconic parents — Anna Meara in 2015 and Jerry Stiller in 2020. When the pandemic began, however, Stiller's relationship with Taylor got back on track.

Despite announcing their separation in 2017, Ben Stiller and Christina Taylor still attended events as a unit, often alongside their children. The official statement regarding the split noted a priority of "raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends." This meant family outings could have been an excellent example of co-parenting at the time, but Stiller has now confirmed a reconciliation in an interview with Esquire.

The actor moved back in with Taylor and their kids during the shutdown, and over time, the uncertain relationship took new form. "It evolved," Stiller shared. "We were separated and got back together and we're happy about that. It's been really wonderful for all of us." Stiller notes that respecting the ways he and his wife are both similar and different "saves a lot of energy." He further explained, "You can really appreciate someone more because you're not trying to get them to change for you ... If you have that trust level with your partner, you know that me saying 'I don't like doing that thing' is not me saying 'I don't like you.'"

Stiller explained to Entertainment Tonight in 2016 that the secret to his long relationship with Taylor was "having a sense of humor," adding that "after a while life is life you know?" Sharing humor between them throughout the highs and lows "makes a huge difference" — so huge it could be the foundation that helped the couple find their way back to one another.