Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor shared in a recent interview with Esquire that they rekindled their relationship after separating in 2017. Taylor invited Stiller to live with her again so they
could both be with their two kids, Ella, 19, and Quinlin, 16, during the early days of the pandemic. Being together again brought reconnected them romantically.
“Over the course of time, it evolved,” said Stiller. ”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.”
A source close to the couple told People that though they were separated for years, they never really even dated anyone else.
“They are the kind of couple that friends hoped would get back together,” the insider explained. “They were never estranged. Ben just had such a busy career for years. It drove them apart a bit. They didn't spend much time together. But when they did, it was always obvious that they loved each other.”
The source added, “Even after they decided to separate, they spent time together just the two of them. They always had fun and enjoyed hanging out. They never even dated other people after they separated.”
Both Stiller and Taylor are very focused on parenting, and have had a healthy co-parenting relationship even when they were separated. The source said, “They were always very close with their kids. Both are amazing parents.”
Stiller shared some other thoughts with Esquire about how his partnership with Taylor has grown over time.
“I think we have a respect for the ways that we're similar and the ways we're different,” he said. “And I think accepting that, you can really appreciate someone more because you're not trying to get them to change for you...Once you accept that, you save a lot of energy. ‘This is something that works for me; this is something that doesn't work for me.’ If you have that trust level with your partner, you know that me saying, ‘I don't like doing that thing,’ is not me saying, ‘I don't like you.’”