Ben Stiller has reflected on how the COVID-19 lockdown helped to mend his relationship with his wife, actress Christine Taylor. The 59-year-old comedian revealed that after the pair separated in 2017, spending extended time together during lockdown allowed them to reconnect and rebuild their marriage. Speaking in the documentary Stiller and Meara: Nothing Is Lost, he explained: “All of a sudden, we were together in the house and during that time I started to make the movie, too. So there was this coming together — us talking about what we were going through, our issues, and looking at what my parents had been through, too, in a way I hadn’t before.”
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The Meet the Parents star, who shares two children, Ella, 23, and Quin, 20, with Taylor, admitted he was determined not to repeat the mistakes of his parents, legendary comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t want to become my parents,’” he said. In 2020, Stiller moved back into the family home during the lockdown so he could spend more time with his children. Over time, he and Taylor found their relationship evolving naturally. “We were separated and got back together and we’re happy about that,” he said. “It’s been really wonderful for all of us — unexpected, and one of the things that came out of the pandemic.”
Stiller and Taylor, who married in 2000, have since developed a deeper understanding of one another. The actor explained that they now share a greater “respect” for both their similarities and their differences. “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.”
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He added that this acceptance has strengthened their marriage, allowing for more honesty and trust. “Once you accept that, you save a lot of energy,” Stiller said. “‘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.’”
