Zoolander star and director Ben Stiller has ended his 17-year marriage with fellow Hollywood star Christine Taylor. The former power couple delivered the news via a joint statement on Friday. According to ET, the two will be raising their children as loving parents and the closest of friends. The family asked the media to respect their privacy at this time.
The 51-year-old actor met Christine, 45, on the set of Heat Vision and Jack, a Fox TV pilot in 1999. Soon after they married in an oceanfront ceremony in Kaui, Hawaii in 2000. Both actors share two children, 15-year-old Ella Olivia and son Quinlin Dempsey, 12.
The former couple also starred in several flicks like Zoolander, Zoolander 2, Tropic Thunder and Arrested Development.
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, who have been married for 17 years, have decided to call it quits. pic.twitter.com/wTnzjbJMfA
— E! News (@enews) May 27, 2017
Ben Stiller too controlling?
In a previous interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Stiller opened up about his marriage to Christine Taylor. He said that "Like any marriage, we have been through a lot. But you have to accept that people change." Luckily for both actors, they have been able to keep their family life private from the press, but the stress brought on from living the Hollywood life might have had taken its toll on the former couple, especially with the perks that go along with ego and fame.
Moreover, a personal account of Ben Stiller's behavior during his recent project might have painted a subtle clue to the reason for the couple's separation. According to a post by Your Tango, the comedian is a very different person on the set. The movie extra detailed that Stiller "was a dick," and all he did was "whine and complain." She added that he was prone to tantrums and he complained that the takes were taking too long to set up.
She remembered an awkward encounter where he was bundled up in a huge coat while the crew was shivering during the scenes.
It is not the first time that such incidents happened. The Enquirer also revealed that Stiller was tough to work with on the set of "Meet The Fockers." According to the first-hand account, Ben alienated most of the cast and crew with his arrogant and selfish behavior.
He threw tantrums, and the team called him the "Little Focker" because of his extreme conduct. He also allegedly flipped out on a female assistant for a mistake and he refused to come back on set until her male replacement arrived the next day.
Could it be that Christine Taylor has had enough of Ben Stiller's erratic behavior?
History of bipolar tendencies
In his interview with GQ, Stiller admitted that he is not an easy going guy. He added that his family has a history of bipolar manic depression. Although he did acknowledge that he is not proud of losing his temper, his sudden mood swings could have been too much to handle.
Moreover, there have also been rumors that Ben controls Christine's diet.
It is an outrageous story, to say the least, but several insiders have claimed that her soon to be ex-husband counts her calorie intake. They stated that both couples count almonds together and have regular colonics. It might be unusual but Hollywood has been a home to many crazy things.