Whatever Happened To Christine Taylor?

Christine Taylor was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1971. She grew up in the area, graduating from Allentown Central Catholic High School before moving to Hollywood and landing her first role in 1989 on Nickelodeon's "Hey Dude." She then jumped to the big screen, playing Marcia Brady in both "Brady Bunch" movies in the mid-1990s. The fame that followed would land Taylor on the set of a 1999 pilot directed by Ben Stiller and starring Jack Black. Although the project would ultimately remain unreleased, it did lead to something even more worthy: a long-lasting relationship. Both Stiller and Taylor had just come out of serious relationships, but as he told Parade in 2016, "We went on a date and it clicked." He quipped, "We were both on the rebound, and we just jumped."

That jump led to a marriage within the year, and soon, they expanded their family with two children. Taylor's relationship with Stiller also landed her in some of the biggest comedies of the era, including "Zoolander" and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." Despite appearing in such big titles, though, Christine Taylor has maintained a mostly quiet existence since settling down with her fellow actor. Here's what's been happening with Christine Taylor over the past two decades.

Christine Taylor first met Ben Stiller in 1999 when she arrived to audition for "Heat Vision and Jack," a pilot Stiller was directing for Fox. While it ultimately never aired, it did change Taylor's life forever as she embarked on a whirlwind romance with Stiller. The duo got engaged that same year and tied the knot in 2000. Soon enough, they started growing their family with the arrival of daughter Ella in 2002, followed by son Quinlin in 2005. Taylor embraced her newfound role wholeheartedly, hitting pause on her career in order to focus on her children. "[W]hen I had Ella, my whole world changed," she told The Morning Call back in 2010. "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."

Even so, she did take on small roles in the occasional TV project, appearing in popular sitcoms like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "My Name Is Earl." As she later told Good Housekeeping in 2016, she didn't really start feeling better about working until her kids hit their tweens. "I struggled more when I started to go back to work because I would feel so guilty," she shared. "Now that my kids are a little older, it's nice to be able to go off to work and have them be OK."

Christine Taylor's hiatus from the big screen was a self-imposed one. As The Morning Call noted in 2010, it wasn't that the roles stopped coming, but rather that she turned most of them down. "When I drive the kids to school, or get to be the Daisy Troop leader serving their snacks, it feels like a reward," she explained, noting she had no regrets. "I know where my heart is."

Given such a strong sentiment, it took hubby Ben Stiller quite a bit of convincing to get her to join the cast of 2004's "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." "I had been out of the loop for so long, I'd just had a baby," Taylor told Blackfilm at the time. "I was just so not in that mode." Ultimately, though, she fell in love with the script and agreed. Entrusting Ella's care to her mom, Taylor shot the flick but soon realized why she had taken the hiatus in the first place. Going from being a stay-at-home mom to being away for most of the day had confused a young Ella and, once filming wrapped, she continued to fear her mom would disappear. "[W]e had such a tough time because the minute I walked out of the room Ella thought I was gone for 12 hours," Taylor recalled, musing, "[Y]ou live and you learn and you figure out what works best."

A year after "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" hit theaters, Christine Taylor became a mom for a second time and, as a result, she took an even bigger step back from Hollywood. While she did appear in some TV series and TV movies, her big screen appearances became sporadic. In the decade that followed, there were only three film projects she agreed to: 2008's "Tropic Thunder," 2012's "The First Time," and 2016's "Zoolander 2." Speaking with Daily News ahead of the latter's release, Taylor admitted it was fun to get back into the game. "It's great to be able to do a little work every now and then," she enthused, but again underscored her belief that at least one parent should always be present for Ella and Quinlin. Given Ben Stiller's fame, that usually ended up being her. "When my husband's working or he's on a film, I tend to not work that time and vice versa," she shared.

Indeed, all of Taylor's career decisions have been based around her children's well-being. In 2010, for example, she agreed to star in a Hallmark holiday movie called "Farewell Mr. Kringle" specifically because of its filming schedule. "We never worked more than 12 hours, which was great," she told The Morning Call that year, noting she actually used the project as a teaching opportunity. "I wanted to show my daughter that sometimes mom can go off to work and still come home and be a mom," she mused.

Christine Taylor has repeatedly proved that she's a devoted mama, even when her kids haven't always appreciated her support. Speaking with People in 2014, Taylor recalled telling a then-12-year-old Ella, "You can talk to me about anything; I'm a cool mom; You don't have to be embarrassed." Well, that gesture backfired as the tween delivered quite the comeback, telling Taylor, "You just saying that made you uncool."

Undeterred, Taylor continued to dote on her children, supporting them through all of their milestones as they grew into young adults. For example, when Stiller and Taylor's daughter Ella decided to follow in her parents' footsteps, they were all for it. "My parents were at every single show I did at Juilliard," Ella, who graduated in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in acting, told People. She added, "I just feel lucky and really grateful for their understanding and support."

As for Quinlin (who landed a cameo in 2025's "Happy Gilmore 2"), his bond with his folks is just as special. "We like to hang out as a family," Stiller told People, as Taylor added, "We play tennis together a lot, which is fun. ... We also play a lot of the game Celebrity."

In May 2017, Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller took fans by surprise when they announced their split after 18 years together. Releasing a statement to E! News, the exes assured they would continue to be friends and said they made their decision "with tremendous love and respect for each other." While many women stay married when they want a divorce, an insider told People that Taylor could no longer put up with Stiller's crazy work schedule. "He has a very busy Hollywood career, and she's been very focused on being a mom," the source claimed.

For the next several years, Taylor kept mum on the matter until a 2023 appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," when she appeared to confirm that theory. "Family was always a priority, but I think Ben and I both sort of started to grow in different directions," Taylor told viewers before offering additional insight into what went wrong. As the mom of two revealed, she and Stiller were so focused on different priorities, they eventually found themselves asking a difficult question: "What is best for us at this chapter in our lives?" Ultimately, they decided that what was best was to go their separate ways while continuing to spend time together as a family for the sake of their kids.

Although Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller separated in 2017, there was no messy celebrity divorce for these two. In fact, there was no divorce at all as they eventually decided to reconcile after a four-year split. During their time apart, Taylor and Stiller learned a great deal about themselves, which would prove beneficial. "I think we have these growth spurts, even as adults," Taylor told "The Drew Barrymore Show." "I feel like we needed just some time to figure that out." Stiller agreed, telling The New York Times, "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."

As they worked through their separate emotions, COVID-19 hit, and Stiller and Taylor moved back in together, so neither would have to be separated from their kids. "We had so much time to talk," Taylor recalled. In a surprise twist, the real reason Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor got back together was a pandemic. As Taylor told Barrymore, they slowly began growing closer until they finally reconciled about a year later. "It just happened organically," she mused.

While they've both been overjoyed by the surprise outcome, both Stiller and Taylor recognize how rare their story is. "I'm so grateful for it [because] I think not that many people do come back together when they separate," Stiller told The New York Times, noting it's made them all the more thankful. "You have so much more appreciation for what you have," he enthused.

Other than taking on small cameos here and there, Christine Taylor didn't really work much in television until 2016 when she signed on to do a handful of episodes of "Search Party."  She then took another extended break before singing on to 2023's "High Desert." The series, which aired on Apple TV+, starred Patricia Arquette as Peggy, an addict who decides to become a private investigator following her mother's death. Taylor was cast to play Peggy's younger sister, Diane, and as she told UPI, she was certain audiences would relate to her character, as well as to the show as a whole. "At the core of it, there is just a lot of love in the family, even though it is dysfunctional," she mused.

The series was directed by Emmy-winning Jay Roach and executive produced by Ben Stiller, and it showed promise. Indeed, its first season had a decent 77% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it ultimately failed before it ever really took off. Arquette confirmed the news of its cancellation in 2023, telling fans on Instagram (via Variety), "[W]e just found out that we won't be coming back — that's a sad bummer for all of us."

Even if Christine Taylor were to work full time as an actor again, fans likely wouldn't see much of her anyway. Taylor doesn't often walk the red carpet, she's not active on social media, and as she told Good Housekeeping in 2016, she genuinely loves spending time at home. Indeed, she even has a favorite chore that she says is perfectly aligned with her type A personality. "I find vacuuming very therapeutic," she revealed. "I like the lines it makes on the carpet."

Even Taylor's ideal weekend plans include being far away from the public and the spotlight. "I'm a really big homebody," she confessed. "[A] typical Saturday night would be staying home, ordering in, watching a movie, or catching up on some shows." As for her ideal Sundays, they're just as cozy and involve the entire family unwinding at home. "[S]taying in pajamas for half the day and eating a late breakfast," she enthused.

Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller's children are growing up to be stunning. In 2025, Ella turned 20, while her brother Quinlin hit his big 20-year milestone. This means Taylor is now freer than ever to jump back into her work. At this point in her career, it appears that the actor is doing just that while showing a preference for working on indie flicks. Indeed, she signed onto two such projects back to back. In July 2024, Deadline confirmed she was cast to star in "Miracle on 74th Street," an indie comedy from director Rachel Israel that tells the story of an influencer named Dzanielle (played by Jill Kargman) who tries to hit a million followers.

Next up, Taylor joined yet another indie comedy called "Love & Chaos," with Deadline confirming her role in May 2025. Directed by Drew Denny, the film follows a group of improv actors stranded in Europe who have to find their own way to perform at a festival after their production company goes under. As of August 2025, both projects had yet to receive a specific release date.