﻿While Aisha Tyler has garnered immense success as an actress and comedian; she didn't always plan to
be part of the entertainment industry. She decided to risk it all to follow her dream, and no matter
how hard things got, she always pushed herself to persevere. Unfortunately, the actress's marriage
suffered behind closed doors, and before she knew it, her two-decade-long union came to an end.
Aisha Tyler and Jeff Tietjens met at Dartmouth University and were college
sweethearts before they got married in 1992. At the time, twenty-two-year-old
Aisha had majored in political science and environmental studies. Meanwhile, Jeff,
who was also twenty-two, studied to be a lawyer. For a while, Tyler tried to pursue the career that
everyone had expected her to follow. As an ivy league graduate, she felt like it was important
for her to put her political and environmental degree to good use. However, she soon realized
that the path she was on wasn't right for her. Aisha shared, "I realized that I wasn't happy
doing what I thought I was going to be happy doing and that what I really loved was performing."
She chose to follow her heart instead, and it turned out to be an easy decision to make.
Tyler figured that since she already had a degree, she could "always go back to working
behind a desk" if things didn't work out. Aisha had always had a love for comedy,
and her sense of humor helped her a lot while she was growing up.
Recalling her childhood, the actress admitted that she was "teased constantly" and chose to utilize
self-deprecating humor as a "defense mechanism." But protecting herself from bullies wasn't the
only reason Tyler felt herself drawn to comedy. According to her tell-all-memoir,
'Self-Inflicted Wounds,' published in 2013, the actress described herself as the ultimate
risk-taker and daredevil. She figured what could be more terrifying than getting up on
a stage and performing stand-up comedy. Aisha recalled her first stand-up gig,
"It was around 2 a.m. It was just my husband and a hobo in the audience. I got one laugh, and it
was from the hobo. Since then, I was hooked." Although the comedian was determined to make a
career out of her love for performance, it wasn't an easy journey. During an interview
with Conan O'Brien, Aisha said that getting her foot in the door as a stand-up comedian
was far from a walk in the park. In fact, there were times when she
felt like all the odds were stacked against her. While speaking to Conan, she described a
performance that resulted in the audience chucking pizzas at her. However, instead of getting upset
about the audience's reaction, Tyler embraced the experience as an opportunity to get free food.
In a 2001 interview with 'PEOPLE', the actress revealed that she and Jeff had
battled financially while she attempted to break into the entertainment business.
"We were po'," she said. "We couldn't even afford the other o and the r."
Fortunately, Aisha explained that she was a firm believer in failure being the ultimate way to
help her grow. She said, "The more mistakes I made, I realized that I didn't die after. The
more I realized that engaging risk and engaging in potential failure is an ideal time for growth."
All her hard work eventually paid off. As the years went by, Aisha booked roles in
widely successful TV shows like, 'Friends,' 'Whose Line Is It Anyway,' and 'Talk Soup.'
The actress also featured as a co-host for the show, 'The Talk,' for seven seasons.
While her acting career took off, so did her stand-up. Despite her rough start,
Tyler was soon regarded as a successful female comedian. Unfortunately, behind closed doors,
her marriage was suffering. Since finances were no longer an issue, Aisha and Jeff decided it
was time to grow their family. Sadly, the plan proved to be more difficult than they expected.
In 2011, Aisha opened up on 'The Talk' about how she struggled to
get pregnant. She had always hoped to start a family and become a mother,
but no matter how hard the couple tried, they weren't able to conceive.
"The hardest part is I really love my husband – he's such a good person,
and he would be such a great father. But we just decided it wasn't worth it to go through that,
and so we decided to stop. It was better to not go through that torture." She said,
Just four years later, news broke that Aisha and Jeff had separated. The actress addressed
the split from her husband of twenty years during an emotional segment on 'The Talk.'
She shared that they hoped to keep things private until the divorce was finalized.
Aisha explained that the separation had been a "very painful thing to go through," and even
more so since the news was made public. She added that it was "pretty frustrating
to have people talk" about her private life when they "don't know anything about it."
She went on, saying, "My husband and I met when I was a teenager,
and I've been with him for more than half of my adult life. It's very hard when you love someone
very much to also start to realize that maybe you want different things for your lives."
The actress shared that she and Jeff had tried to keep the details of the divorce out of the
media because she wanted to protect him. Aisha knew it "may be strange to some people" to want
to protect the person she was breaking up with. "But, I love him." She said.
Tyler didn't get into the reasons behind their split. Despite their
two-decade-long marriage coming to an end, Aisha didn't see their divorce as a failure.
She explained that they "loved each other passionately," and they "lived
life fully." They tried to "let each other go in the kindest way" they possibly could.
She concluded, "I don't, not in any way, see this relationship as a failure … That's what
I'm gonna say about the relationship, and the rest of it is none of your damn business."
Aisha and Jeff's divorce was finalized in 2017. The actress openly admitted
that following the breakup, she cried on her way to and from work for six months. Jeff had
been her "only adult relationship," so it was incredibly difficult for her to adjust
to her new life without him by her side. Despite the heartache, Tyler always spoke
fondly of her ex-husband. She believed that when it came to their marriage, they "did it
exactly right," and he was "a wonderful person." She shared, "He's been my best friend for almost
my entire life. I'll always, always love him. He's the person who's influenced and, in fact, cared
for me the most." Adding, "Sometimes you realize it's time for you to move on with your lives."
In 2018, it appeared as though forty-eight-year-old Aisha finally
found love again, and she was reveling at the moment. Although she gave no further details,
Tyler took to Instagram to share a picture of her actress
Emily Bett Rickards sharing a kiss. She captioned the post, "True love."
Some fans were surprised to see that Aisha had moved on to dating a woman after being
married to a man for over twenty years. But if the actress was phased about what
people had to say, she didn't show it. In fact, Aisha seemed happier than ever.
Although the post might as well have been a confirmation of their romance,
neither Tyler nor Rickards ever publicly commented about their relationship or gave
any details. Aisha did share the occasional post on social media dedicated to Emily,
but that all their fans were going to get. Rickards couldn't help but express her admiration
for her apparent partner. She wrote, "It's difficult to express the awe and light felt when
you are able to watch someone you love and admire succeed, it is nothing short of incredible."
She added, "I'm uplifted, renewed, and inspired by all the stories shared last
night. Most importantly, I'm so, so in love." Despite the couple's lack of confirmation
surrounding their romance, fans were quickly able to put the pieces together.
As of today, it's not entirely clear if Aisha and Emily are still together. The pair have
been adamant about not speaking about their relationship with the media and have preferred
to keep the details between themselves. Whether they're still an item or not,
we only hope that Aisha has found happiness. It couldn't have been easy for her to walk away
from a two-decade-long marriage and start a new life. She and Jeff had been together since they
were so young, and going their separate ways must have been incredibly difficult for them both.
We only wish the best for Aisha. We hope that she's been able to find the space to heal her
broken heart and move on to this next chapter of her life with excitement for her future.