﻿Courteney Cox and David Arquette were a confusing couple; she was more of a homebody and introvert,
whereas he was gregarious, outgoing, and like he once said, a little too wild for her.
While their relationship initially proved that opposites do attract, their differences eventually
tore them apart. They got married, struggled with infertility, and, eventually, divorced.
Through it all, they managed to stay best friends, even if there were a few times he
overshared the reasons behind their divorce, totally humiliating her in the process.
The year was 1996, and Courteney Cox was the glamorous star of Friends, the world’s
biggest sitcom. David Arquette’s most notable credit at the time was for the flop of a movie,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Then, the pair were cast as lovers in the horror film, Scream.
Courtney and David met at a party before filming. The actor was smitten from the moment he met the
actress, but she took some time to come around to his quirky charms. He freely admits that he
had to trick her into giving him a chance. "I was being a little cocky, and Courteney
was like, 'Ah, I've heard of you,' and we just kept flirting for a while. She was
gorgeous and joked around so much." he said. Arquette’s cockiness paid off because he and Cox
became more than friends on the set of the movie; they actually fell in love. They went on to have
an on-again-off-again relationship for years to come, and in typical David Arquette fashion,
he shared why they parted ways in 1997. "I'm a little too wild for her. She
deserves someone who is more together than I am," he said.
The actor admitted that the director of Scream, Wes Craven, helped him get himself together.
"Wes had a real impact. He was like, 'David, you know she likes you,
and you should get your shit together.’ He gave me a real man-to-man talk, and that had an impact on
the course of my life," he shared. And change the course of his life,
it did. In 1998, Arquette popped the big question while the couple was vacationing with Cox’s
family. As fireworks lit up the sky, Arquette got down on one knee and asked, “Courteney Cox,
will you marry me?” Of course, she said yes! A year later the couple exchanged vows. They
were happier than ever and were ready to start the family they had always dreamed of.
But there was a serious obstacle in their way. The duo always knew they wanted to have children,
and they began trying almost immediately after they got married. Courteney spoke about
their ongoing attempts to fall pregnant, including several in vitro attempts.
“I get pregnant pretty easily, but I have a hard time keeping them. We bounce back pretty quickly.
I don’t say it’s a walk in the park. But what are you going to do? We just try again," she said.
David recalled that their first round of IVF was nerve-racking, and he felt terrible that
his wife had to go through so much. They had several miscarriages over the years.
Then in 2004, it all changed. Their dreams were finally coming true. The
couple welcomed their daughter, Coco. The couple said this was the best present they
could have hoped for. How sweet is that? Over the next few years, everything seemed
like it was picture-perfect. Then, in July 2010, there was a lot of tabloid fodder that
things weren’t as they seemed between the pair. They both immediately defended their marriage.
David said there was absolutely nothing wrong with their relationship. He also said that he felt
blessed to have the actress as his wife and that they have an amazing family and love each other.
“We have a beautiful relationship. I would never do anything to jeopardize
our relationship. I'm committed, and we're honest with each other. Relationships take
a lot of work," he said. Whenever issues arose, they were honest with each other,
communicated about them and dealt with them. Cox also had an interview in an attempt to
squash the rumors, but she did point out some things that did have many raising
their eyebrows. She admitted that she and her husband were in couple’s therapy.
"We're not lazy about our marriage. We have the same arguments we've had for years. Some things
just never change. The intriguing things you fall in love with will probably become
the things that you don't like," she said. The rumors proved true a few months later when
after 11 years of marriage, the pair announced that they had agreed to a trial separation.
According to David and Courteney, the reason for this separation was for them to better
understand themselves and the qualities they need in a partner and for their marriage.
The day after announcing their separation, Arquette called Howard Stern’s radio show
and spoke about his and Cox’s sex life. And well, let’s just say he overshared!
"We're not having sex, it’s been four months or so, and I completely understand," he revealed.
The actor then went on to say that Courteney was an emotional being, so she needed that
connection. If it didn’t feel right, she didn’t want to bond in a physical way.
"She knows she's not fucking me, and she's like, 'Listen I want you to be able to
do whatever you have to do.' Essentially, I'm free to see people," he shared. Woah!
But he didn’t stop there! Arquette went on to reveal that Cox’s choice of an 11th
wedding anniversary present was a clear sign that she didn’t want to nag him anymore. The
gift was the one thing he’d previously been banned by her from having… a motorcycle.
"She says that to me: 'I don't wanna be your mother anymore.’ I appreciated that
about her. I respected that. I've been going to therapy. I'm trying to grow up," he said.
Well, you may be wondering how Courteney felt about this public therapy session,
and she was, of course, furious. Her husband issued an apology on Twitter the very next
day. But it appears she wanted her revenge for this overshare by oversharing herself!
Just one year after David’s little episode, she went to the Howard Stern show and took her
estranged husband with her for somewhat of a public couple’s therapy session.
She had no qualms about disclosing even more details about their sex life,
including Arquette's constant horn dog state. "Whenever I would need consoling from David,
he couldn’t put his arm around me without getting aroused. He was once like, 'Oh, I'm so sorry your
dad is dying, can we f**k?'” she said. Yeesh! The pair went on to speak about an incident when
they were staying in Disneyworld with their daughter. Cox explained that she wasn't in
the mood for some hanky-panky at the time. But Arquette seemed to interpret this as her no
longer being interested in him sexually. "He told me, ‘I think you're over it,
baby.’ I had just woken up. I don't think sexual attraction was the issue. The truth
of the matter is that we love each other so much. We have such affection for each other,
but we are very different," she said. And it didn’t end there, the uncomfortable
therapy session continued with another candid confession from the actress.
"We are complete opposites. I'm a homebody. David doesn't drink anymore, he's completely sober,
but he likes to go out and dance. I don't want to inhibit him in his life," she said.
Even though it was still during their trial separation, it seemed like she was saying
the relationship was not going to work. Then in January 2011, Arquette entered a
rehab program for alcohol and depression. He was apparently dealing with a broken heart
and couldn’t handle all the changes in his life. Cox supported him through the entire
process, but after less than a month, he completed his treatment and left rehab.
Despite their estrangement, the couple still had nothing but kind words for one another as
they accepted that their relationship might end in divorce. Courteney said that David
was her favorite person in the world and her best friend, no matter what happens in their
future. She doesn’t recommend divorce, but she was happy they were still so close. Whereas the
actor’s sentiments were heart-breaking. "I want her to be happy. If me being the
best person I can be doesn't make her happy in a partner, in who she needs,
whatever she's looking for, that's still to be answered. I’d still love for my
marriage to work, but, you know," he said. Then in 2012, after two years of being separated,
the actor and actress filed for divorce. They both cited irreconcilable differences
and requested joint legal and physical custody of their daughter. The former couple finalized
their divorce nearly a year later. "The split wasn’t a dramatic ending.
As divorces go, this is the best one we could provide,” she said.
David even shared that the first woman he slept with after his separation made him
cry. The actor revealed that he slept with Jasmine Waltz,
a cocktail waitress from LA, in the wake of their split.
"It was the end of all the intimacy I shared with my wife," he said.
In 2014, just months after her divorce was finalized, Courteney found love again with
musician Johnny McDaid. The pair got engaged six months after they began dating but called off
their engagement a year and a half later, only to get back together a few months after that.
They’ve been together ever since. As for David, he also found love a
few months after the divorce was finalized. He began dating Christina McLarty, and that same
year they welcomed a child together. They went on to get married and have another baby together.
The exes had no qualms with reuniting this year for the fifth installment of the Scream franchise.
They loved working together, and David even admitted that it was a cathartic experience
to act opposite Courteney. They were both teary-eyed and emotional but loved the experience
of bringing their characters back to life! Courteney Cox and David Arquette may not have
been “meant to be” romantic partners, but it seems like they were destined to be best friends
and co-parents. We are glad that they have both found love and happiness again and also remain
incredible parents to their daughter. Let us know in the comments below what you think about
their public oversharing about their marriage. Until next time. This has been Rumour Juice.