Ben Stiller’s Quotes About Separating and Reconciling With Christine Taylor

Ben Stiller has been candid about reconciling with his wife, Christine Taylor, after they worked through their 2017 separation.

Stiller and Taylor tied the knot in May 2000 after falling in love while filming a TV pilot called Heat Vision and Jack the previous year. In 2001, the couple played love interests in Stiller’s film Zoolander. In April 2002, they welcomed daughter Ella. Stiller and Taylor completed their family with son Quinn in July 2005.

In 2017, Stiller and Taylor announced that they decided to split after nearly two decades of marriage.

“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,” the pair told Us Weekly via a joint statement at the time. “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.”

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor Stun on 2025 Emmy Awards Red Carpet

Amid their separation, Stiller and Taylor were spotted several times together at multiple functions. Stiller and Taylor reconnected after they were brought back together amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was almost a year of living in the same house before we were actually together,” Stiller said in a January 2025 interview with the New York Times. “But I’m so grateful for it, and I think that not many people do come back together when they separate. There’s nothing like that, when you come back. You have so much more appreciation for what you have, because we know we could not have it.”

Keep scrolling for everything Stiller has said about his relationship with Taylor:

Being Brought Back Together

In February 2022, Stiller shared that when he moved back in with his wife and kids amid the pandemic, his relationship with Taylor “evolved.”

“We were separated and got back together and we’re happy about that. It’s been really wonderful for all of us,” he told Esquire. “Unexpected, and one of the things that came out of the pandemic.”

Distance Brought Clarity

Stiller opened up about how his and Taylor’s marriage was not “in a great place” after moving from California back to New York following the release of Zoolander 2. After taking time apart, the Severance director had a different mindset.

“There was a lot going on,” he told The New York Times in January 2025. “When we separated, it was just having space to see what our relationship was, what my life felt like when we weren’t in that relationship, how much I loved our family unit.”

Remaining Hopeful

Stiller confessed that he “didn’t expect” for him and Taylor to “get back together” but he was hopeful.
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“There was a part of me that wasn’t ready to just give up on it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in February 2025. “Probably a certain amount of that is having watched my parents. And I love Christine, I love my family, and I was not ready to just go, ‘OK, enough of this.’”

The Night at the Museum star added that he’s “happy” he “didn’t totally miss the boat” for spending time with Taylor and their kids.

Navigating Challenges

While Stiller’s career flourished, his personal life suffered setbacks.

“I just felt out of balance and unhappy and kind of disconnected from my family, from my kids and just kind of a little bit lost,” he recalled in the documentary Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost, which premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2025. “I started to think about my parents and all the stress and tension I remember seeing as a kid and the pressure when they were working together and how they stayed together through it. … I think I wanted to somehow understand how they did it.”