Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s relationship timeline

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor were considered to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring love stories, right up until they announced their shock split in 2017.

The pair, after 17 years of marriage and two children, were one of the few couples in show business who managed to keep their split seemingly amicable – they were still frequently seen out together socially, even walked the red carpet together at the 2019 Emmy Awards.

In 2022, five years after their breakup, Stiller, 57, revealed he and Taylor had reconciled in 2020 and were giving their love another shot.

Now, Taylor, 51, has opened up about what led to the split in the first place, and why she and her formerly estranged husband ultimately decided to reunite.

Watch the video above.

25Oct99 New York City Ben Stiller Leaving Nello's Restaurant After Dinner With Girlfriend Christine Taylor

Taylor told Drew Barrymore on her eponymous daytime talk-show that she and Stiller got engaged only six months after they started dating in earnest, were married within the year, and then, by the next year, had welcomed their now-20-year-old daughter Ella Stiller.

“Family was always a priority, but I think Ben and I both started to grow in different directions,” Taylor said. “And when we made the decision to separate, it was not something we wanted to talk publicly about or took lightly.”

Taylor said when she and Stiller split, they were at an “impasse” as to what was “best” for both of them at that stage of their life. And during their three-year separation, they each “got to know who [they] are”.

”I think we have these growth spurts, even as adults. And we needed time to figure that out,” Taylor told Barrymore.

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Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor

Ultimately, Stiller and Taylor got back together after they spent time quarantining together during COVID-19 with their children, which she said gave them “all this time to talk.”

“There were no other distractions. It was a really special time,” Taylor said, noting how their rekindled relationship had come by in an “organic” and “natural” way, and emphasising their “time apart” had been vital for both of them and that they prioritised their family before they decided to reunite.

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“We always stayed a family unit [and] continued to do things together,” Taylor, who also shares 17-year-old son Quinlin Stiller with her husband, said.

Now, Taylor says her relationship with Stiller is “so good” and they “learned as [they] were going together” even with their shared “history” of having “lived a lifetime” together.

Let’s take a look back at how Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s relationship has unfolded over the last 25 years.

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Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor

1998: Stiller had already won an Emmy and had cult success with The Ben Stiller Show by the time he and Taylor meet. She, meanwhile, is coming off the back of a string of hit films, including The Brady Bunch movies – in which she played Marcia Brady – and The Craft.

1999: The pair are cast alongside each other in a pilot for Fox called Heat Vision and Jack, which Stiller writes, directs, produces and stars in. The show never makes it on air, but their relationship blossoms. They first step out together as a couple in New York City and are frequently seen courtside at Knicks games.

2000: After a string of relationships with actresses such as Amanda Peet, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Calista Flockhart, Stiller pops the question to Taylor. The couple marry in an oceanfront ceremony in Hawaii, surrounded by family and friends.

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Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller in 2001 comedy film Zoolander

2001: They appear in the first of many movies together, including Zoolander, which is written, produced and directed by Stiller. Although not a massive hit, the film goes on to become a cult comedy classic. Taylor plays investigative journalist Matilda, Derek Zoolander’s love interest.

2002: The couple welcome their first child, daughter Ella Stiller, who is born in April.

2004: They reunite on screen for Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, with Vince Vaughn. During the press tour, Taylor debuts her baby bump on the red carpet and the couple announce they’re expecting again.

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Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)

2005: Their second child, son Quinlin, is born in their home city of New York City in July. That same year they both appear in Arrested Development, playing recurring supporting characters.

2007: Stiller announces he’s writing, directing and producing a sitcom starring Taylor, which shoots a pilot but is not picked up for a full season order.

2008: Taylor makes a small cameo in another of Stiller’s films, Tropic Thunder. The movie is a massive hit, earning $US188 million (approx. $277 million) globally and scoring an Oscar nomination.

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Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Quinlin Stiller and Ella Stiller attend the hand and footprint ceremony honoring Ben Stiller held at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 3, 2013 in Hollywood, California

2013: The whole family of four turns out as Stiller is honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in December, acknowledging his more than 20 years in show business. His famous parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, are in attendance.

2014: In June of that year, Stiller receives a shock diagnosis: he has prostate cancer. The couple stay strong through the actor’s treatment, with Stiller receiving a cancer-free status following surgery in September.

2016: Taylor and Stiller reunite on camera as Matilda and Derek respectively in Zoolander 2, with their kids Ella and Quinlin walking the red carpet alongside them and striking the famous ‘Blue Steel’ pose.

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<<attends the Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks game>> at Madison Square Garden on December 13, 2012 in New York City.

2017: Hollywood is shocked by the announcement the pair are separating after 17 years of marriage.

In a statement to Page Six, they said: “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.”

2018: Despite their split, the couple continue to appear publicly together. They’re pictured with their daughter, Ella, at the US Open and walk the red carpet at various Broadway premieres, including Groundhog Day.

Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller attend FOXS LIVE EMMY® RED CARPET ARRIVALS during the 71ST PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS airing live from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles

2019: The very definition of friendly exes, Taylor and Stiller walk the red carpet at the Emmy Awards in September where his series, Escape At Dannemora, receives multiple nominations.

2022: Stiller confirms to Esquire he and Taylor decided to move back in together during the pandemic so he could see their children during lockdown.

“Then, over the course of time, it evolved,” the actor tells the magazine. “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.”

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