Why Ben Stiller’s Wife Decided to Reconcile: The Untold Story Behind Their Reunion

Christine Taylor recently candidly discussed her prolonged separation from husband Ben Stiller, shedding light on the journey that ultimately led them to reconcile.

The Brady Bunch Movie actress, 54, left no stone unturned during a recent interview on the McBride Rewind podcast, admitting that phase of her marriage to the Zoolander star was ‘challenging.’

Speaking with host Josh McBride, Taylor reflected, “At that point, we were just not aligned on many aspects.” She revealed that discussing it now is easier, but admitted, “In the moment, it was incredibly tough to make that decision.”

She emphasized that the choice to separate was neither taken lightly nor without emotional turmoil. “It was accompanied by a heavy heart, feeling disheartened because it wasn’t the outcome I had envisioned, and I believed we should have been able to resolve our differences,” Taylor shared.

Despite their challenges, the couple, who chose the Met Gala over a Knicks game last month, tied the knot in 2000 and are parents to two children, Ella, 24, and Quinlin, 20. They first announced their separation in 2017.

The couple – who snubbed a Knicks game to attend the Met Gala last month – wed in 2000 and had two children, Ella, 24, and Quinlin, 20. They announced their separation in 2017.

Christine Taylor spoke about her years-long separation from husband Ben Stiller and what finally led them to give their marriage another chance on the McBride Rewind podcast

‘I think at that moment in time for us we weren’t on the same page with a lot of things,’ Taylor told host Josh McBride about the couple’s decision to separate in 2017; Stiller and Taylor pictured at the Met Gala on May 4

‘Through it all, we were always in contact. We were co-parenting together. We were spending time together as a family,’ Taylor said.

The ‘silver lining’ of the pandemic acted as a forced pause, allowing them to re-evaluate their relationship.

‘If there’s a silver lining for us during Covid, that was the little gift,’ Taylor explained.

‘We all kind of bubbled up together with our kids. Our daughter was graduating high school at the time, our son was graduation eighth grade. We all were in the house together and we had nothing but time.

‘So Ben and I spent a lot of time just working on us with a therapist and we’d log into Zoom and we’d do our therapy sessions and really found the way back,’ she said, adding: ‘I think it’s something people don’t love to talk about because it feels like a failure.’

She went on: ‘By the way, if the right answer for us was that it didn’t work, but we were able to figure that out very clearly and focused, then that’s great too. 

‘Life moves at such a rapid pace that we don’t often take the time to just pause and say, “Okay, he looked at his stuff, I looked at my stuff”… long-term marriages are a lot of work.’

Taylor stated that she and Stiller emerged from the tough time ‘really stronger and better than ever. And I feel really comfortable talking about it because I think it’s really important for people to feel like that’s okay.’

The Brady Bunch Movie actress, 54, said the ‘silver lining’ for them was the pandemic: ‘Ben and I spent a lot of time just working on us with a therapist’; pictured in April

Stiller – seen with Taylor at a Knicks game in New York City in April where Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner also sat front row – previously said their marriage works now because they accept each other’s differences

Taylor said that she and Stiller came out ‘really stronger and better than ever’; the couple are pictured in September 2025 in Los Angeles

In a 2022 Esquire interview, Stiller confirmed they’d gotten back together during the pandemic while living under one roof with their children.

Having that space to talk without everyday distractions allowed their relationship to mend in all the right places.

‘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,’ the actor shared.

He said their marriage works now because they accept each other’s differences and similarities.