Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor Are Back Together After Separating in 2017: 'We're Happy'
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Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have rekindled their marriage after separating nearly five years ago.
The Meet the Parents actor, 56, revealed the couple got back together in an interview with Esquire that was published on Tuesday.
Their romantic relationship was rekindled after Stiller and Taylor, 50, decided it would be best if he moved back in with her and their two kids during the early days of the pandemic, as it would be the only way he'd be able to see the kids during the lockdown.
"Then, over the course of time, it evolved," he told the outlet. "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."
RELATED: Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's Relationship in Pictures
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Stiller and Taylor share two children together: daughter Ella Olivia, 19, and son Quinlin Dempsey, 16.
"I think we have a respect for the ways that we're similar and the ways we're different. And I think accepting that, you can really appreciate someone more because you're not trying to get them to change for you," Stiller continued, touching on how his relationship with Taylor progressed over the last two years.
Bruce Glikas/WireImage Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor pose alongside their children Ella Olivia and Quinlin while visiting Andy Karl, and Orfeh backstage at Pretty Woman: The Musical
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Added Stiller: "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.' "
In May 2017, the couple released a joint statement to PEOPLE announcing their separation 17 years after exchanging vows in Kauai, Hawaii.
RELATED VIDEO: Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor Split After 17 Years of Marriage
"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. We kindly ask that the media respect our privacy at this time," Taylor and Stiller said in the statement.
Although the couple had announced their separation, they continued to support one another and their family in the public eye, attending events with their kids and at one point, holding hands during an outing to see the Pretty Woman musical in 2018.
"It was a sweet family night out. The kids were glowing because they all love the theater, and Ben and Christine looked happy together, smiling and laughing and holding hands, especially during intermission," an onlooker told PEOPLE at the time. "They seemed to really love the show and being around one another."
