Amy Poehler and Will Arnett were
the ultimate comedic couple. Will had a crush on her years
before they even started dating, and things seemed perfect … until they weren’t.
In a recent interview, Will confessed that he had to pull over his car on the way to work and
cry on the side of the road because the divorce was so painful. While the couple have never
confirmed the real reason behind their split, it seems like fans managed to put the pieces
together and figure out the truth for themselves. Stay tuned Juicers, because
in this video we’re going to take a deep dive into Amy and Will’s marriage. Amy Poehler and Will Arnett only started dating
in 2000, but they actually met back in 1996. Will first laid eyes on Amy during one of her
improv performances with Upright Citizens Brigade. Even though he had a girlfriend at the time, he was so smitten by Amy that even his
girlfriend noticed his attraction to her. "I went with my then-girlfriend, and she
was like, 'You have a crush on that girl!'" Will shared, adding that Amy stuck
out from all the other women; she was "fantastic and obviously
really cute." He gushed. They officially began dating four years later,
and in 2003, they said their "I do's." Things were going well at the beginning of their marriage,
with Amy sharing how safe Will made her feel. The couple even worked together on screen,
starring alongside one another as the incestuous brother-and-sister villains in
Will Ferrell's comedy, Blades of Glory. Poehler also played Arnett's
wife in Arrested Development, and Arnett was featured as Poehler's love
interest in an episode of Parks and Recreation. Five years into their marriage, the
couple welcomed their first son, Archie, and a few years later, they had another son, Abel.
The couple did their best to keep things private, despite their fame and did a reasonably good job
at it too. However, in 2014, they suddenly filed for divorce after being separated for two
years, leaving fans completely gobsmacked. Amy and Will had been the dynamic comedy duo,
and then out of nowhere, poof … it was over. Both Will and Amy kept silent when it
came to the reason for their split. Naturally, the silence only allows for tabloids to
stir up as much information as they could to find out what the real reason was. An insider close
to the couple shared that their romance just "fizzled out" and that the pair felt "more like
best friends" than a couple in love. The insider added that the romance in their marriage had
"died," and neither one of them was happy anymore. Something had to be done, and
that something was a divorce. "They drifted apart, like a lot of couples
do, but there's no malice in the split, nor was anyone else involved."
Another source explained. While there weren't many scandals that
revolved around the time of their divorce, years later, some information came to light
that may have explained what really happened. Arnett confessed to The Hollywood Reporter that he
relapsed into alcohol use after years of sobriety in 2012 — the very same year he and Poehler
separated. It wasn't a surprise to fans when they realized that the time of his relapse correlated
perfectly with the end of his marriage to Amy. Naturally, neither Arnett nor Poehler has
ever indicated that Will's relapse was what led to their divorce. In fact, the former
couple had always been open about their previous "experimentations" with substances
before they got married. Amy explained that becoming a parent changed everything for them
because it makes "that lifestyle" impossible. In her memoir, Yes Please, the actress admitted
that she experimented with cocaine and ecstasy back in the day. She also opened up about her
occasional marijuana usage. But she noted, "How do you explain to a four and six-year-old
that you can't play Rescue Bots because you have to spend all day in bed eating Cape Cod
potato chips and watching The Bicycle Thief?" Despite the fact that the couple never admitted
that Will's drinking was what caused their split, fans couldn't help but wonder
if that was the real reason. They may not have wanted to talk
about it, but the answer was clear. In a recent interview, Will confessed that at
the time of their separation, he was shooting the fourth season of Arrested Development, and it was
"almost excruciating…Just brutal, brutal, brutal. I was driving to the set one day and I pulled over
to the side of the road and cried for an hour." On the other hand, he also credits
the show's creator, Mitch Hurwitz, with helping him transform the pain of his
divorce into something "hilarious and cathartic." Arnett went on to explain that being in the public
eye only makes things more difficult. His personal life was plastered all over the news, everyone
knew about his divorce, and it only amplified his pain. People spoke about him as they knew
him, as they knew about his relationship. Meanwhile, they actually have
no idea what's really going on. He went on to add, "It's brutal with
any relationship, and we have kids, and without getting into specifics,
you then see stuff online, like, this one journalist wrote: 'I'm Team Amy.'
I'm like: 'You're a grown person. What are you talking about? This is a breakup.
This is a family. This isn't some game.'" So, Will knew he had no choice
but just to "go on with it." Even 10 years after their split, he had nothing
but good things to say about his ex-wife. He said that his kids are so lucky to have Amy
as their mother, and he's so lucky that they're all such a huge part of each other's lives.
They're closer than they ever were before, and he couldn't be more grateful for all of it,
even though things with Amy didn't work out. On the other hand, Poehler took a lot longer to
open up about her divorce. Her reasoning was that there shouldn't be a specific time on how long
it takes to get over a long-term relationship. Even in her memoir, Yes Please, the actress was
resistant to speaking about her split from Will. She wrote, "I don't want to talk about my
divorce because it is too sad and too personal. I also don't like people
knowing my shit," she said. However, she did say a few things. She expressed
that she was so proud of her ex-husband and how they've taken care of their children together.
She added that she was "beyond grateful" that he is their father, and just because their
marriage didn't work out, that didn't mean that it was a failure. She concluded, "That
being said, getting a divorce really sucks." She described getting a divorce
with a very creative metaphor. "Imagine spreading everything you care
about on a blanket and then tossing the whole thing up in the air … and worrying
what stuff will break when it lands." Despite it all, she holds no grudges against
him. They've remained very amicable, if not good, friends after their split. They agreed
on joint custody, and they've always put their children first. Will even claimed that he
found his true happiness in his kids. In fact, it was reported that neither Arnett nor Poehler
is expected to pay spousal or child support. So when it comes to messy Hollywood divorces,
it seems like these two made a clean break. They've been so determined to raise their kids
together that during the pandemic, the former couple even quarantined together. They wanted to
make sure that their kids weren't separated from either of them for a long period of time, so when
the time came to lockdown, they did it together. Will's girlfriend at the time, Alessandra
Brawn, was even pregnant with his child. So they were all living
together as one blended family, making sure to put their kids first. If
you ask us - that's pretty inspiring. Arnett and Alessandra welcomed
a son, Alexander, in 2020, and Amy also did her best to
move on with her romantic life. Not long after her divorce, she had a "short-lived
fling" with Nick Kroll, known for his roles in Big Mouth. Perhaps it was her thing for funny
guys because Nick is pretty hilarious too. The couple mostly kept mum on their
relationship, but Poehler did share, "I have a boyfriend who knows how to settle
me … On one of our first nights together, I woke up apologizing for my snoring, and he
pulled out two earplugs he had worn to bed so he could hear what I was saying. It was one
of the most romantic gestures I have ever seen." They dated for about two years, but it seems
that they struggled to make things work with their busy schedule. Since then, the actress has
remained single. While we can't know why for sure, Amy did share a little insight into
what it's like dating in her forties. "I find my relationships at 40-plus are
really emulsified, juicy relationships because you have more of a sense of who
you are and who you want to be around. Talented men are not threatened by
talented women. They welcome them." Perhaps she's hinting that other men have
been intimidated by her talent? She is an incredible comedian, and her work speaks for
itself. Or, maybe, as she had mentioned before, getting over a long-term relationship shouldn't
have a time limit, and she's still working through the painful feelings of her divorce. Whatever
the case may be, we just hope that she's happy. When it comes to turning fifty
this year, the actress shared, "Not going to lie: 50 feels older than
40. But I like being the age I am," At least she and Will have no hard feelings
and are doing their best to raise their boys together and be good parents. We can't help
but tip our hats to them and acknowledge the fact that they did everything without
the messy divorce or disastrous scandal. No doubt to protect their kids from any
drama. They've always put their boys first and maintained respect for one another
through it all - and that's all that matters.
