Ben Stiller makes rare sad admission about split from wife

Ben Stiller has made a rare sad admission about his separation from wife Christine Taylor.

The pair of actors have been married since 2000, but in recent years took a break from their relationship.

Stiller has opened up more about that period during a new documentary about his parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

Spotlighting the life and journey of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara, the Meet the Parents actor directed and produced Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost which had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival yesterday (5 October).

The doc explores the both their best moments on camera and some of the darker sides of his parents as well as looking at Stiller’s relationship with his own wife and kids.

Stiller has produced a documentary about his famous parents (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

It asks just how much we repeat mistakes made by our parents and what we can and can’t really learn from the past.

And the Severance director admits he felt ‘disconnected’ from his own family.

“My career had been going along for a long time but things actually weren't great in my personal life,” Stiller explained.

“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.”

In 2017, he and Taylor shared that they were separating as Stiller said at the time: “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."

The pair share two children together, Ella and Quinlin and all ended up under one roof together during the Covid lockdown.

Stiller and Taylor with their children in 2016 (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Stiller said during a previous The New York Times interview that 2020 marked a turning point as they had an opportunity to reconnect.

"It was almost a year of living in the same house before we were actually together," he said. "But I’m so grateful for it, and I think not that many people do come back together when they separate."

While they were separated for ‘three or four years’, he said in the doc: “We always were connected. In my mind, I never didn't want us to be together."

He also reflected on the experiences his parents had in regards to how he navigated ups and downs.

"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," he said.

"I think I wanted to somehow understand how they did it."

Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost has a limited theatrical release on 17 October before landing on Apple TV+ on 24 October.

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