Zoolander star Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor have been together for 23 years. But did you know that they started out as each other's "rebound?" They almost got divorced at one point as well.
Here's a timeline of their relationship.
Who Is Ben Stiller's Wife Christine Taylor?
Taylor is an actress known for playing Marcia Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel. She started out in the industry in 1989 on the Nickelodeon children's show, Hey Dude where she played the lifeguard, Melody Hanson. You may have also seen her in 1996's The Craft, 1998's The Wedding Singer, and 2001's Zoolander alongside her husband.
Even though she's famous for her collaborations with Stiller, Taylor still has her own projects these days. In 2016, she got a recurring role as Gail on the sitcom, Search Party. She also joined the cast of Apple TV's High Desert in 2021. When asked how she juggles acting, her marriage, and parenthood, she said, "It's been pretty easy."
"Now that my kids are a little older, it's nice to be able to go off to work and have them be OK," she explained to Good Housekeeping in 2016. "I struggled more when I started to go back to work, because I would feel so guilty. It's been pretty easy for me to juggle both because my priorities are always there with them." Taylor has two kids with Stiller: Ella Olivia Stiller, 20, and Quinlin Dempsey Stiller, 17.
Before meeting the Severance actor, Taylor reportedly dated Neil Patrick Harris from 1997 to 1998. Speaking to Howard Stern in 2008, Harris spilled how their relationship made him explore his sexuality. "She's the coolest, nicest chick ever," he said of the actress. "She's an absolute catch, and I thought, 'If I'm not going to feel the super sparks with her... it probably means I'm gay.'"
How Did Ben Stiller Meet His Wife Christine Taylor?
Stiller and Taylor first met while filming the 1999 TV pilot, Heat Vision and Jack. The former was directing it while the latter was a guest star. In a recent episode of the actress' podcast, Hey Dude … The 90s Called!, she shared how she and the actor were initially each other's "rebound."
We were both each other's, I would say, like, sort of rebound relationship a little bit," she admitted. Stiller echoed her sentiments, saying that they "weren't taking it seriously" and that they "had a fun time making the show."
He continued: "Then Christine and I connected and then I went off to do a movie [Keeping the Faith] in New York and I invited her to come hang out." According to Taylor, she "ended up going and staying the entire summer." Despite their casual start, they ended up getting married in 2000.
"We got engaged around when I was shooting Meet the Parents," Stiller said of the time they tied the knot. "Christine's dad had a security company — and still does — and so it was kind of this weird parallel. He was very much like the Robert De Niro character to me." Taylor then joked, "Dad, I know you're listening. You were not intimidating."
Why Did Ben Stiller & His Wife Christine Taylor Almost Get Divorced?
In May 2017, Stiller and Taylor released a joint statement announcing their separation. "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," read the official announcement exclusively given to Entertainment Tonight.
"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."
But by 2019, the two had already been seen together in public numerous times. That year, Taylor showed up at the Emmy Awards where Stiller was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special for Escape at Dannemora. They even arrived together and posed with each other on the red carpet.
In February 2022, the There's Something About Mary star said that he'd moved back in with Taylor and their children when the pandemic hit.
"Over the course of time, it evolved," he told Esquire. "We were separated and got back together and we're happy about that. It's been really wonderful for all of us. Unexpected, and one of the things that came out of the pandemic." He added that rekindling their romance after the separation made them a stronger couple. "I think we have a respect for the ways that we're similar and the ways we're different," he explained.
Two months later, he gushed about his renewed marriage, saying: "I'm so happy where I'm at in my life and the fact that we're even able to be here together doing this right now, all those things are now not taken for granted. The whole last few years have been a time for everybody to kind of get in touch with a lot of that."