Inside Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's Private Family Life
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Originally appeared on E! Online
The family that works together, ultimately stays together—just ask Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor.
The couple have co-starred in several movies over the years—including Zoolander, Dodgeball and Tropic Thunder, and now, their 21-year-old daughter Ella is in the family business. After she took a small role in his 2018 miniseries Escape to Dannemora, Ben revealed Ella could "definitely" appear in a future season of Severance, the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series he produces and directs.
Ella, who attended the 2022 Emmys ceremony with her dad, called Severance her "favorite show," saying she was "obsessed."
And Ella once again served as her dad's date to a special event last June, accompanying Ben to the Tribeca Film Festival, which they attended to support Christine at the debut of her short film Let Liv.
Married since 2000, Ben and Christine announced in 2017 that they were separating after 17 years of marriage, though they never filed for divorce and ultimately reconciled.
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Ben shared he and Christine reconnected after they decided it would be best for him to move back into the family home with Ella and their son Quinlin, 18, during the early months of lockdown in 2020.
"Then, over the course of time, it evolved," Ben explained to Esquire. "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."
Christine reflected on their reconciliation—and how far they've come.
"I think Ben and I both started to grow in different directions," she explained on The Drew Barrymore Show last March. "And when we made the decision to separate, it was not something we wanted to talk publicly about or took lightly."
During their separation, "we got to know who we are," The Brady Bunch Movie alum shared. "I feel like we needed some time to figure that out. And we always stayed a family unit and always continued to do things together."
And when COVID forced the world to slow down, they found their way back to one another.
"When the pandemic hit and we all had to figure out where we were going to hunker down, we all ended up in our house together," Christine explained. "We had so much time to talk. There were no other distractions."
And now, they're stronger than ever.
From Taylor Swift sing-alongs to adopting a plant-based lifestyle together, look back on all of Ben and Christine's sweetest moments with Ella and Quinlin...
Married since 2000, Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor broke up in 2017. However, they never filed for divorce and, after to quarantining together with their kids Ella and Quinlin during the pandemic, they reconciled for good.
Father-Daughter Dates
Ella has often accompanied her father Ben to events over the years, like when she joined dad at the June 2023 Tribeca Fil Festival debut of the short film Let Liv, which her mom Christine stars in. For the outing, the trio coordinated in different black outfits.
Previously, Ella served as her dad's plus one at the 2022 Emmys, the 2018 premiere of Free Solo, the 2017 premiere of The Meyerowitz Stories and the opening night of Broadway musical Groundhog Day.
In 2019, the duo went to the 2019 Golden Globes together to support Escape to Dannemora, the Showtime miniseries that earned Ben a nomination for Outstanding Directing.
Working Together
Ben opened up about his experience working with Ella on the set of Escape to Dannemora, telling E! he was "very proud" of his daughter.
"I was very happy it went well," the Zoolander actor said. "She showed me a lot of respect, which I appreciated because with a teenage daughter you want to be like, 'Don't be like how we are at home! Let's pretend we're actually nice to each other!' No, it was really a super positive experience for both of us."
Following In Her Parents' Footsteps
In addition to her small role in Escape to Dannemora, Ella has also made appearances in Hubie Halloween and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
As Ben told E! in 2019 Ella "seems to have a desire to explore" an acting career.
Christine also spoke about Ella's decision, telling Us Weekly in 2018 that she never "discouraged" her from following in her parents' footsteps.
"She came out of the womb with a mission, and I was never going to get in her way," Christine explained. "She is a very strong-minded, strong-willed young lady, and she loves it. Obviously she was born into the world, but I think living in New York City, she has been exposed to so many incredible things and shows and so … she has the bug. There's nothing you can do about it, but I did not encourage it."
Calling Out Dad
Ben previously revealed that Ella had a conversation with him about "not being there" during her childhood due to his career.
"She's pretty articulate about it, and sometimes it's stuff that I don't want to hear. It's hard to hear," he explained to Esquire. "Because it's me not being there in the ways that I saw my parents [actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara] not being there. I had always thought, 'Well, I won't do that.'"
While he noted that it "didn't feel great" to hear Ella say that, Ben said it was "important to acknowledge" her feelings: "But then it's that thing that, like, I was trying to navigate my own desire to fulfill the hopes and dreams I had, too."
The actor went on to say that Ella and her brother Quinlin were never keeping notes on his absences due to work, they just wanted to spend quality time with their dad.
"What I've learned is that your kids are not keeping score on your career," he explained. "It would be solipsistic to think that my kids actually care about that. They just want a parent who's emotionally present and supportive of them. That's probably what they want more than for me to be going off and pushing the bounds of my creativity."
Not-So-Secret Swiftie
During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Ben revealed Ella had turned him into a major Taylor Swift fan after she made him listen to the singer while he was teaching her how to drive.
"What really helped her was if we just played her favorite artist on the iPhone, and we just played Taylor Swift," he explained. "I was a fan, but I think now I'm a total Swiftie."
Taylor's music "would calm her, and it would calm me," Ben shared before going on to prove just how big of a fan he's become. "We got into the later stuff—Folklore, Evermore. 'Cardigan,' 'Betty' and 'August' all being about the same love triangle but from different points of view. And the characters are named after Ryan Reynolds' and Blake Lively's kids. And then the 'All Too Well' 10-minute Taylor's version from the vault."
Taking a Break
After filming Tropic Thunder with Ben in 2007, Christine chose to take a break from acting to focus on raising their kids.
"It never felt like a big decision for me," Christine said during an appearance on The Morning Call in 2010. "When I had Ella, my whole world changed. I couldn't believe how much love I had for this little creature. I wanted to be a part of it all. I didn't want to miss anything, and with Ben working as much as he does, I felt it was important for one of us to be the stability in the family."
Ben told Parade in 2016 that he felt "very fortunate" that Christine made that decision.
Healthy Family Habits
Ben and Christine decided to adopt a plant-based lifestyle more than a decade ago. And now they're trying to inspire their kids to do the same.
"Ben and I make these green drinks in the morning and they look at us like it's from another planet," she shared in 2012. "I joke, 'Just join the party! Don't complain so much, just join us.'"
The Search Party actress went on to detail Ella and Quinlin's differing tastes, saying, "My daughter loves veggies but doesn't love fruit. My son loves fruit and doesn't love veggies."
Still, Christine wasn't giving up hope. "It's that thing where your parents aren't cool for a while and then suddenly they are," she explained. "We just kind of plant the seeds."
Out of the Spotlight
While Ella often attends events with her parents, Quinlin rarely makes public appearances, though he did attend the Project A.L.S. Benefit in 2018 with his family.
"This is his first event. I think he's just having fun with it," Christine told Us Weekly at the time. "Last year, our daughter came to the event for the first time and she encouraged him to come this year, and being able to make it fun and again the extended family that we've built and I think we've seen each other for 20 years and we've all watched our kids grow up."
Ben and Christine have shared the projects they are passionate about with their kids, including Project A.L.S., which Christine sits on the board of directors for.
"For them to come out on a school night," Christine said, "have a little fun, dress up, take some pictures, but then learn about an incredible organization, that's huge."
This story was originally published on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022 at 8:39 p.m. PT.
