Ben Stiller revealed how he felt ‘disconnected’ from his family amid his past separation from his wife.
The 59-year-old actor reflected on his brief separation from his wife Christine Taylor in his new documentary and admitted he was ‘unhappy’ and felt ‘lost’ during that time.
He made the candid confession about how he was struggling with his personal life at the same time his acting career was taking off.
‘My career had been going along for a long time but things actually weren’t that great in my personal life,’ he admitted in his documentary, Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost.
In the film, which follows the life story of his famous parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, he admitted: ‘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.’
Stiller shares two children with his wife, whom he married in 2000. He and his wife separated in 2017 after nearly two decades together but have since reconciled and are back together.
At the premiere of the documentary on Sunday at the New York Film Festival, the Severance director — who came under fire earlier this year for one of his tweets — said he started thinking about creating the film following his father’s death in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ben Stiller revealed how he felt ‘disconnected’ from his family amid his past separation from his wife
The 59-year-old actor reflected on his brief separation from his wife Christine Taylor in his new documentary and admitted he was ‘unhappy’ and felt ‘lost’ during that time; pictured alongside their son Quinlin Dempsey Stiller
Around the same time, he said he moved back into their family home, which allowed them to spend more time together and get back together.
At the premiere of his documentary, per People, he revealed the impact their separation had on him.
He also explained why they split up for ‘three or four years’ back then before they found their ‘way back’ to each other in the home they raised their daughter Ella Olivia Stiller, 23, and son Quinlin Dempsey Stiller, 20.
‘When we separated, it was just having space to see what our relationship was, what my life felt like when we weren’t in that relationship, how much I loved our family unit,’ he told the New York Times earlier this year in January.
In Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost, he reflected on his childhood of growing up alongside his sister Amy Stiller with their famous parents in New York City.
At the premiere, he explained how he and his sister were preparing to sell their childhood home when he got the idea to make the film, which also gives a glimpse into his marriage with Taylor.
He explained that reflecting on how his parents worked through conflict factored into how he and his wife mended their marriage.
‘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 trough it,’ he said.
He made the candid confession about how he was struggling with his personal life at the same time his acting career was taking off. ‘My career had been going along for a long time but things actually weren’t that great in my personal life,’ he admitted in his documentary, Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost
In the film, which follows the life story of his famous parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, he admitted: ‘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’; pictured in November 2024
Stiller shares two children with his wife, whom he married in 2000. He and his wife separated in 2017 after nearly two decades together but have since reconciled and are back together; pictured in September
‘I think I wanted to somehow understand how they did it,’ he later added.
Years after their split, Stiller and his wife were spotted together on a number of occasions before they announced in February 2022 they had gotten back together.
The documentary featured archival footage captured by the Stiller family as well as audio recordings taped by their father.
Jerry and Anne quickly fell in love after meeting in 1953 and got married shortly thereafter.
They were married for over 60 years when Anne passed away in 2015.
He also explained why they split up for ‘three or four years’ back then before they found their ‘way back’ to each other in the home they raised their daughter Ella Olivia Stiller, 23, and son Quinlin Dempsey Stiller, 20; pictured in December 2013
He explained that reflecting on how his parents worked through conflict factored into how he and his wife mended their marriage
At the premiere, he explained how he and his sister were preparing to sell their childhood home when he got the idea to make the film, which gives a glimpse into his own family life and marriage; pictured in February 2007
Jerry and Meara quickly fell in love after meeting in 1953 and got married shortly thereafter. They were married for over 60 years when Meara passed away in 2015. The duo were famous for their comedy, rising to fame together in the 1960s and had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show 36 times in their careers
In 2007, they were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Stiller talked about his parents’ marriage following his father Jerry’s death in 2020. ‘They found each other adn they were there for each other,’ he told the Today show. ‘Not to get too sappy, but I feel like they’re connected again’; pictured in June 2012
The duo were famous for their comedy, rising to fame together in the 1960s and had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show 36 times in their careers.
In 2007, they were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Stiller talked about his parents’ marriage following his father Jerry’s death in 2020.
‘They found each other and they were there for each other,’ he told the Today show. ‘Not to get too sappy, but I feel like they’re connected again.’
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost will screen in select theaters beginning on October 17 and will also be avilable to stream on Apple TV+ on October 24.
