From co-stars to lovers to spouses to friends,
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s relationship has been one hell of a ride.
Where do these two stand now? Strap in, we’re getting into all their ups and downs.
Ben Stiller first met Christine Taylor in 1999
during auditions for the TV show "Heat Vision and Jack," and the rest, as they say,
is history. Sort of. There's obviously a whole lot more to their romance timeline than that.
Stiller described their significant meet-cute to Parade in 2016, saying,
"My wife came in to audition for the role of the sexy sheriff. She had been in 'The
Brady Bunch' movies and they were pushing her on me. She came in and she was great."
He explained that they'd both just come out of long-term relationships and were,
quote, "on the rebound," but went on a date and clicked right away.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey I'm not a stalker. I'm not a stalker, all right. She's a friend of mine."
"Heat Vision and Jack" never made it to air, but it was enough to create a spark onscreen and off.
First comes love, then comes marriage! In November 1999, Ben Stiller popped the question
and just six months later, he and Christine Taylor jumped the broom during a romantic ceremony
on a Hawaiian beach. Stiller opened up about how quickly things progressed in 2016 when he
admitted to Parade that they both just jumped and got married very quickly.
In another interview with Parade, the "Tropic Thunder" star described the
romance as a gradual thing that evolved over seven or eight months. He explained,
"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.'"
Apparently his proposal was something straight out of a movie — a comedy, to be precise, as the actor
likened the beginning of their matrimonial situation to being like "Meet the Parents."
Speaking to the outlet, he recalled asking Taylor's somewhat tough father
for permission for his daughter's hand in marriage, and admitted that he was actually
more nervous speaking to Taylor's dad than he was speaking to his wife-to-be about spending
their lives together. Hopefully, for Stiller, a polygraph machine wasn't part of that process…
After tying the knot, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's on-screen relationship
continued alongside their off-screen one, with the couple starring in a slew of big movies together.
One of the biggest was 2001's "Zoolander," in which Stiller starred as a male model
who learns there may just be more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good-looking.
Taylor played his love interest Matilda Jeffries, and, spoiler alert,
the two characters end up together and welcome a Blue Steel-posing baby at the end of the movie.
That's not all, though. Another huge project they took on together was 2004's "Dodgeball:
A True Underdog Story," where Stiller played self-obsessed gym owner White Goodman,
and Taylor appeared as accountant Kate Veatch. In a twist, they didn't end up together this time,
with Taylor's character instead getting together with Vince Vaughn's Peter LaFleur .
"I get it. You caught the scent of a lesser stag in your nostrils. Pity."
Of the change in their on-screen dynamic between the two movies — being attracted
to and then disgusted by, Stiller's respective characters — Taylor told IGN,
"To me, he's my husband. He can't look bad in anything. That being said,
I loved being the nemesis. I loved it. I loved being repulsed."
They also hit the set for a slew of other big movies over the years,
starring alongside one another in the likes of "Tropic Thunder,"
and working together on "Friendsgiving," for which Stiller was a producer. Clearly,
the couple who works together stays together. At least, for a while.
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor officially became parents for the
first time in 2002 when they welcomed a daughter named Ella
Stiller. Ben opened up about his paternal experience to Parade in 2013, admitting,
"When your wife is pregnant for nine months, you get used to the idea of pregnancy.
Obviously, you know where it's leading, but it almost becomes this abstract idea;
and then suddenly the next time you go back to the house, you have another person living with you."
Ben clearly got used to the idea of sharing his home with the kiddos, though,
as the couple welcomed their son, Quinlin, into the world in July 2005.
Shortly after that, the "Search Party" star took a step back from her career to be at
home with their children, which explains why you may not have seen her for a while.
Prepare yourself, as here's where things start to get a bit rocky. After welcoming
their two kids to the world, the pair seemed to still be happily in love.
Sadly, however, that may not have been the case as Taylor and Stiller split
in 2017, making their separation official via a public announcement.
"I'm through playing games. It's time to end this square dance once and for all."
The parents of two confirmed the heartbreaking
news via a joint statement issued to Entertainment Tonight, which read,
"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. Our priority
will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends."
They also asked for privacy as they navigated the breakup,
but that didn't stop the rumor mill from churning up reasons for the two going their separate ways.
A source claimed to People, for instance, that their schedules
and responsibilities had supposedly contributed to the surprising breakup.
Just one month after they announced their split, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor were back
together… sort of. June 2017 saw the release of a hilarious Omaze clip starring the newly
separated twosome, in which they reprised their "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" characters.
The two were joined by co-stars like Vince Vaughn and Justin Long.
"It's on."
"Oh, yeah, it's on. It's on AF."
It's not clear if the video was filmed before or after the duo officially went their separate ways,
though seeing the former couple being cordial onscreen probably wasn't too surprising for
fans of the two comedy talents. Shortly after they announced their split in May 2017, a source
alleged to People that Stiller and Taylor were still "a very loving family." The outlet suggested
that a messy separation wasn't to be expected from the couple based on the source's claims.
If teaming up for that reunion video didn't prove Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor
were still on good terms after their breakup, they made it very clear away
from the spotlight too. In July 2018, a year after announcing their separation,
they were spotted eating together at a restaurant in New York City, seemingly without their kids.
People shared candid paparazzi snaps of the two looking pretty happy together in the Big Apple,
with a source telling the outlet that the two were still friendly and devoted parents to their kids.
An onlooker who claimed to have seen Taylor and Stiller out on their NYC dinner date
alleged to Star Magazine that they appeared to still be acting like a couple. They added,
"Judging by how cozy they looked, you would never guess that they were exes."
But that certainly wasn't the only time they put up a united front.
The former couple were spotted together several other times in the wake of their split,
including when Stiller and Taylor attended the 2018 U.S. Open alongside their daughter, Ella.
It was around the same time that the two also proved they could keep working together
as friendly exes with no drama, when the movie "Friendsgiving" dropped in October 2020.
Taylor starred in the comedy alongside the likes of Malin Åkerman and Aisha Tyler,
while her estranged husband served as co-producer under his Red Hour production company.
All those cozy sightings of Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor were a feast for gossip lovers,
with reports claiming that the split was off, and they were instead giving
their marriage another go. In August 2018, Star magazine alleged that the
couple's "$200 million divorce" had been called off. And a source claimed,
"There’s still a lot of love between them,
and it’s clear the spark never went away. They’re just taking each day as it comes."
It was later alleged that neither had actually dated other people during their separation period,
with People claiming that both stayed true to
one another even after announcing their breakup. An insider claimed,
"They were never estranged. Ben just had such a busy career for years. It
drove them apart a bit. They didn't spend much time together. But when they did,
it was always obvious that they loved each other."
The anonymous source added that the pair still had fun together
and enjoyed hanging out. And honestly, who wasn't rooting for them to make it work?
Though Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor never officially confirmed
that their relationship was back on, they certainly set tongues wagging in
April 2019 when they were spotted looking affectionate while attending "Pretty Woman:
The Musical on Broadway" with their children. An onlooker claimed to People,
"Ben and Christine looked happy together, smiling and laughing and holding hands, especially during
intermission. They seemed to really love the show and being around one another."
That same month, a Closer Weekly source claimed,
"Ben and Christine are giving their marriage another shot. He never got
over her after the split nor was he interested in
starting a relationship with anyone else whilst they were separated."
As rumors concerning their reconciliation continued,
the "Zoolander" co-stars remained hush-hush about what was really going on between them. However,
they appeared to make a strong public statement together in September 2019.
In a move rarely seen from Hollywood exes, Stiller and Taylor attended the Emmys together,
happily posing for photos with their arms around one another while on the red carpet.
It had been two years since they'd officially announced their separation,
and yet the couple were showing very few signs of having actually separated…
In February 2022, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor officially reunited. The "While We're Young" star
dropped the exciting news while speaking to Esquire, sharing that he and Taylor had moved
in together at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, in order to be there for their two
children. Things evolved from there. Stiller told the outlet it was unexpected and said,
"We were separated and got back together and we're happy about that.
It's been really wonderful for all of us."
Following Stiller's revelation about his marriage, a source later suggested to
People that the couple's friends all hoped they would get back together.
Giving us hope in love and producing a very rare good thing as a result of the pandemic?
Yep, it's official, we love Taylor and Stiller more than ever. Whatever happens,
there's no doubt this couple will continue to do the best for their children and show
us what it really means to not give up on love. Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite celebrity romances are coming soon.
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