Ever since Lainey published a blind item earlier this week, everybody has been waiting for this announcement. As I’ve said before, I’m horrible at guessing blind items, but it seemed like everyone had figured this one out within a few hours, and now it’s confirmed: Will Arnet and Amy Poehler are over. They announced their separation to both People and Us Weekly through their reps:
Not very funny news. Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are separating after nine years of marriage, Us Weekly has learned exclusively. “It’s very amicable,” a source says. The couple’s rep confirms the separation to Us.
The couple, who wed on August 29, 2003, are parents to sons Archie, 3, and Abel, 2. Saturday Night Live alum Poehler, 40, and Up All Night actor Arnett, 42, have frequently appeared onscreen together, in both TV and film.
Their joint credits include Arrested Development, Blades of Glory, Horton Hears a Who!, On Broadway, Spring Breakdown and Monsters vs. Aliens. Arnett also guest starred in an episode of Poehler’s NBC smash comedy Parks and Recreation in 2010.
“People think we sit around and make each other laugh and stuff,” Poehler told USA Today of their bond in 2007. “But we’re real homebodies.”
This was the first marriage for Poehler and the second for Arnett, who was wed to actress Penelope Ann Miller, 48, for one year until divorcing in 1995.
Poehler is currently nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, both for Parks and Recreation. Arnett is also nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category for his role as Devon Banks on NBC’s 30 Rock.
I have no memory of Will being married to Penelope Ann Miller. Weirdness. I also didn’t realize Will was two years older than Amy – when did that happen? I always thought he was younger than 42. My third moment of weirdness was learning that they only have two kids together – it feels like Amy has been pregnant consistently for about five years, right? Anyway, it’s very sad news. They seemed like a great funny couple, and I adored their work separately and together for years and years. Hopefully, Lainey’s blind is right and it’s just a situation where they grew apart and there is no third party involved.
Incidentally, you know Will’s family is really rich, right? His family is really, really well off.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I can’t even tell you how sad this makes me! I like them both so much, and they seemed like such a great, happy couple. 🙁
I wish them both well and hope things are OK for their little kids.
+ 1.. I really liked them together
This is depressing as all hell 🙁
Same here – I loved this couple! And they have babies! :*(
+2 this is heart breaking!
This is as if my husband and I broke up. We’re the funny couple and we just had our 9 year anniversary!!!!
Ya, this one is really depressing. I really like them both, and together even more. Dammit.
Me, too. Lainey had a blind about this split and everyone who guessed it was them was sad. It’s a shame it didn’t work out, especially for the kids.
Being together successfully as a couple (no kids) sadly does not meant that people can then be together successfully as a couple with kids. It’s completely different dynamic IMO. Too bad for all of them though.
Damn.
+6
This one really really hurt 🙁 I love them both equally, together they were amazing 🙁 so sad.
Sads 🙁
What a Debbie Downer! I thought they were perfect together.
Wah wahhhhhhhh….
🙁
he does come from money and has a history of alcoholism, no?
i have the feeling he is not the easiest guy to be involved with.
he does play my favorite arrested development character, though…c’mon!
Mine too. Love seeing him Segway past Bluth’s Frozen Bananas. Sad. I thought they were great together.
taste the sad Michael.
🙁
Gob, sob.
LOVE WILL! “They’re illusions Michael, tricks are for whores” – my favorite Gob line. Amy is great too – this news really bums me out.
Noooooo! I was hoping it wasn’t true 🙁
Oh same here. Just awwwww…
so sad… hope everything will be fine for the two babies..
but that means that some blind items are true ? wonder which one…
French:
Yup, lots of blind items get revealed as true. BlindGossip has a “Solved” section that collects all the revealed items in one spot (http://blindgossip.com/?cat=42). I find items by Lainey, the National Enquirer and Blind Gossip themselves are consistently revealed enough to trust a lot of their stuff. Crazy Days and Nights is now considered to be a big phoney-balogney, so I don’t trust his stuff.
I’m sad.
This is terrible news. I knew her personally before she became famous but lost touch. She is such a sweet person. I wonder what happened? I very much hope they get through all this well especially the kids.
Awww. My friend got me hooked her on Ask Amy segments on youtube. She’s super sweet.
This is a surefire sign of the apocalypse.
I know, right?! If they can’t make it, what chance do the rest of us have? Because, frankly, the rest of us just aren’t that funny.
Ugh….they were one of my last hopes for Hollywood couples…
Nooooooooooooooooo 🙁 I hate that I saw this first thing this morning.
Obviously they had some problems. And not problems that just happened today. I had not seen them together since late May. But again they were lucky in that the media and tabloids were not all up in their lives. scrutinizing every move they made.
Marriages are private and the truth is when there are problems nobody knows until the couple lets them know. Sad that they have such small children.
Sad too when you see comments celebrating other couples with young children breaking up or for people wishing that they would. that logic is just head scratching.
I know, right? I am always surprised when someone writes something like “I hope he leaves her ugly a-s-s-“
Both are big supporters of charities, I found their names on a list of donors in my office I dug deeper and discovered, Will Arnett’s great-grand-father was a founder of my organization and founded the United Way – his family has been instrumental in the development of service delivery organizations to benefit the marginalized.
Wow, how surprisingly kind. Thanks for sharing that. There are celebs who do it for others. You just barely hear about it because they truly keep it “secret”. Makes me even more sad that this wonderful couple is no more. I need some Blades of Glory to get over this :(.
On topic again, I hate Lainey’s cheating blinds. I believe her, she’s not a fraud like some claim because at the very least she has reliable sources, this has been proven time and time again. Even if she hams it up for dramatic effect then they still has a core of truth.
I know. And to think few people even knew that his family started this foundation. You know if this were Brad and Angelina they would have issued a million press releases about it and posed for a million photos.
So sad for Will and Amy. They were my favorite Hollywood couple. God how I hate the fact that I now have to say “were”. Ugh.
I was so shocked by this news. 🙁 I love them together, they were so sweet.
@Gossip Rawker What does his great grandfather starting a charity fifty years ago have to do with Brad and Angie or for that matter Amy and Will.I bet this charity issues press releases letting the community know what they are doing.
wah wahhhhh
I’m actually pretty bummed for them. They seemed like a great couple.
This makes me sad 🙁
I wonder if they’ll let me have their red-headed baby.
Aww. This is very sad. Love them both.
They are one of the few couples in hollywood that I root for. Them, along with Kristin Bell and Dax Sheppard. There is no hope for love in this world!!LOL
The “very amicable” part confuses me. I mean, if it’s so amicable, and they have two very small children, then why break up? Maybe someone’s fallen love with someone else.
My husband and I just separated. It sucks and it’s been horrible but because we have kids together we’re really working on keeping it amicable. So it is possible, I hope. But there can be much bigger issues that doom the marriage (not always cheating) even though the two spouses get along.
@jess: I’m sorry to hear that, I hope you find some peace on the other side.
Jess, this may seem an odd thing to write, but well done to you and your husband for trying and keeping things amicable. I hate to read about couples being unnecessarily cruel, especially using their children to hurt each other.
Echo the rest, Jess. Your children are lucky.
+1
Or it could be drug abuse or alchoholism, or way too many other issues to contemplate. Been there, done that.
I never realised what a handsome man Will was.
This one actually is making me sad. Stay together for the kids! By which I mean me!
Ha! Me too.
Me three! There is still a part of me hoping that somehow they can work things out.
I remember years ago a friend of mine met them a few times through mutual friends and saying they were the coolest, happiest couple ever. Sad. I thought they were together for longer than this though for some reason. It’s a shame there are young kids involved.
Wasn’t there a blind item a bit back that people thought was about Will and Christina Applegate having an affair?
http://blindgossip.com/?p=34672
O dear god. That’s even worse. If its true she’ll be announcing her split in 3-2-1…
Isn’t there some 10 yr marriage law in Cali that splits fortune 50/50 or something?
There’s definitely more to this story…I’m guessing he met someone. Usually when one part of the couple starts glamming up and exercising, it’s because they are back in the dating scene.
Well there was a blind item everyone thought was about him and christina applegate 🙁
It better not be true or else I’m boycotting their show for making Amy cry!
NO! When the blind from Lainey first came out thats where my mind went, especially becuase by looking at his other exes she seems like his type. PLUS they have great chemistry on the show, which i know is not always an indicator BUT can be. But that would be so awkward, not only is Maya on that show (and a friend of Amy’s) but their show baby’s name is Amy. Weird.
This news really bums me out. 🙁
I feel like I must be the only person in the world that doesnt know who these people are. I never heard of them until I read that blind item last week and everyone posting how sad it is they’re splitting.
They played incestuous brother and sister in Blazing Glory (Will Ferrell’s ice skating movie). They were hysterical. I’m sad they broke up.
I can *kinda* understand not know who Will is, but you’ve never heard of Amy Poehler? Have you watched SNL in the past 10 years? (Maybe not that long, I’m too lazy to look it up). Or heard of Parks & Rec?
Two of the funniest people in the world…So sad for their kids.
I agree, bummer.
She looks FANTASTIC when she gets dolled up! That last photo, with the navy blue dress, is amazing. Great style (or great stylist, either way)
this makes me sad. “we grew apart” is such a lazy excuse. if you can honestly say “growing apart” is a reason for breaking up a marriage and a family, you shouldn’t get married to begin with. All marriages go through lulls and highs. if its not making you happy, put work into it.
This couple makes the cutest ginger babies too. 🙁
How specific and honest of an excuse do they owe the public at large? Lol! “He started becoming tanorexic and was screwing around on her.” “He wasn’t happy that they spent the last several years pregnant and dealing with feedings.” How much should we really know?
That’s the truth Starsky. Marriage isn’t easy. Unless there’s cheating or abuse, couples shouldn’t be divorcing. If you vow to stay together for better or worse, in sickness and health, etc. then do it! Do people even listen to their vows? Last I heard, nobody has vowed to stay married until they “grow apart”.
I like Amy and Will very much and hope they can work this out.
“unless there is cheating or abuse”
Are you kidding? How ’bout substance abuse issues? Or mental illness? Those 2 are just a few examples of things that develop after a couple gets married.
I don’t get why people think marriage should be caved in stone. I also don’t think you stay in marriage is you are not happy.
And yes marriage takes work.. but your marriage shouldn’t be your work. If it takes that much effort to stay together then maybe you shouldn’t. It shouldn’t be that hard to love and live with someone.
life is short and the future is uncertain. Married life should be a happy journey with the other person. Not some combat mission.
Totally agree with Lisa2.
Yeah, there’s a reason the marriage union was so difficult to legally dissolve until recently: human nature. Many (most?) cute grey and white haired old couples who seem so in love with each other would have split decades ago if the climate had been more accepting to do so. Instead they were pretty much forced to sort out their differences, and their bond became much more stable (and platonic). I’m not saying people should never divorce, but yeah… if “growing apart” is an acceptable reason then what’s the point of vowing “till death do us part”? Seems a bit silly imo.
I always find it strange that a couple are together for years, have children later during that time, so you would think they’re solid to do that, and then they separate after the kids are just little tykes. Love them both, though.
Well, young children can REALLY test a marriage. Suddenly, you don’t have ANY time as a couple, or as an individual. If your way of dealing with stress was, say, going to the gym for a couple hours, or hanging out with your friends, or just taking a nap, guess what? you can’t just do it anymore! Being a parent forces people to change and adapt very quickly, and sometimes they find that they don’t like the person they or their spouse has become. Not making excuses, or blaming babies, adults are always responsible for themselves. But I don’t find it all that surprising when long term couples split up when baby makes three.
Cosign with Fab. Children can (and do) cause tons of tension with relationships. It seems fun when you’re pregnant and waiting for them to get here, but when they are here, it’s like…well, that’s not what I thought it was! I can’t even imagine having children back to back like that! I really loved them as a couple, and I’m sad they broke up, but I am really looking forward to not hearing any nasty words from either side. I think they’ll both keep it classy.
Not only 2 little kids quickly, but now they both have TV shows that take up a lot of their time, I would venture a guess that played a part too.
I hope there’s no nastiness or drama, I like them both too much to have to choose sides!
Damn, y’all are making me wanna get my tubes tied!
Totally agree with Samigirl & Fab.
In the last year I have seen so many marriages & relationships falter that I thought were strong and “perfect couples” after having children. Its not so much that kids suck the life out of your relationship but that you have to be sure who you are procreating has your back and that you are both sacrificing equally.
Kitten, its not all bad but you have to be sure that you a strong relationship, shared goals, commitment to your children and seriously in love because everything you hate/dislike about the other person will be magnified under stress, TEN-FOLD!
HAHAHAHA, Kitten. While I would never bash a woman for not wanting children (it is a very personal choice, after all), I would definitely say that if you want them, go for it. To me, there is nothing better than being a mommy. I may have become one too young (21), but I wouldn’t change a thing. My children have my heart and are my life. And I like it like that 🙂
What’s really kind of sad is how hard people are finding it to stay married these days. Long term marriage is a commitment and it takes work and compromise and especially forgiveness to maintain a marriage. If it’s not deal-breaking behavior like abuse or alcoholism, then isn’t the definition of love to stick with that person and to adapt to each other as you change? What people actually think of deal-breakers these days seems to get less and less consequential. Of course, can’t guess about their marriage but for so many folks splitting up, seems like they maybe should have thought twice about getting married in the first place.
In the People announcement, he was quoted as saying that when they met, he had a “talent crush” on her. Maybe I’m reaching, but I thought that was weird. Maybe he just respected her as a professional and liked the idea of her, but not actually love her. Who knows.
I didn’t know who he was in terms of being famous, but I know who she is and I think she’s hilarious. She is the more successful one – sometimes, jealousy can poison a relationship and it doesn’t have to be a third person.
He might have been jealous about her career, and that buried jealousy and anger just seeped into their lives together until every interaction between them had a bad feeling about it.
Total speculation here, but I am thinking that he might be jealous of her career and it all spiralled out from that.
Didn’t he start doing some kind of copycat web advice thing after she got a lot of positive attention for her “Ask Amy” online clips? That struck me as weird.
He is on a roll right now. His new TV show last year with Christina Applegate was a hit and renewed.
I remember him talking about it in an interview years ago, and it was basically just that he first met her after seeing her perform and was really impressed. Then they fell in love, etc. I didn’t take it as anything more than that.
I would say she’s more successful right now, she’s at a great point in her career, but he’s doing just fine too. Who knows.
Very sad indeed. Especially right after having two kids. Seems the pressure of having a family got to them.
I think sometimes couples don’t really address the kids issue before they get married, and the one who really doesn’t want them hopes they will come around to liking it for the sake of their partner, or their partner will give up the idea of having kids eventually. And then when kids come in that scenario everybody is screwed. Too sad.
This story gives me epic levels of sads. 🙁
This story gives me epic levels of sads.
I was just thinking yesterday that they were my favorite couple! NOOOOOO! This really sucks. I bet he’s a pain in the ass.
I’ve seen Amy Poehler in person a few times and she is 10 times prettier in person and EXTREMELY thin & tiny. The camera adds so much weight and also distorts people’s faces. Not that she isn’t attractive on TV – it’s that she looked entirely different in reality. I think she is a comic genius.
It sucks to see them break up, but at least they are respecting each other and their kids in the process. I wish them the best…
We will see .Heidi and Seal were cordial at first with kids come custody issues
I am really sad about this. They just seemed like they would be awesome together.
🙁
I didn’t even know they were married to be honest, so I guess I feel indifferent.
I’ll add my sadness about this break up along with everyone else.I guess this means I have to like them separately from now on.
I totally adore both of them. This is really sad news, but let’s hope they will still collaborate from time to time. I give thanks to any actor or comedian who can make me laugh til I’m crying the way they have over the years.
Boo!
I hope this is some civil split. They are parents to my beloved ginger boy Abel!
Its sad but really not shocking. Actors/actresses are really just to self involved to be a successful partner. And most likely one of them met someone else..its respectful not to throw your partner under the bus but its rarely as innocent as it seems. I know – I’m being bitchy today. 🙁
You mean Will ‘Upper Canada College’ Arnett? Yeah, the dude is well-heeled. Fun Fact: Both he and Conrad Blackheart got bounced out of that place.
Not that they should stay inside and grow mould on themselves, but I admit that it grinds my teeth a little when people who already have more money than God get a Seinfeld’s ransom of a cheque when they make it in Hollywood. Before becoming Lady Of The Manor, Salma was a naive oil legacy baby, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s late cousin’s SIDE PROJECT was ownership of Adidas. I don’t know, give me the gift certificate.
In fact Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a personal net worth in the billions. Yes, billions.
NOOOOO!!! i love the two of them!!!! together!!
and will’s family isnt just rich… he is canadian royalty – molson!
I was just going to say this- Will’s dad was the President and CEO of Molson Brewery. So yeah…they have some money.
Wow, too bad. I don’t know much about either of them, but it seems like I was just reading about their new baby!
I’m old enough that I’m having flashbacks to finding out that Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson split. My husband told me about this one today and we both said our (mostly) tongue-in-cheek “If they can’t make it, how will the rest of us?” that we said back then.
Seriously, sad for them and their children. They are fabulous and very funny actors.
My dad will NEVER forgive Kenneth Branagh for that. No matter how awesome his Hamlet is. And I just that Helena Bonham Carter is a total nutter now & is happy as a pig in mud with Tim Burton 😉
Sh*t, well there goes another likeable, seemingly solid couple.
what?! noooooo! this is terrible, I love them together so much. excuse me while I go bawl my eyes out.
That’s very sad.
I do wonder if having children so close in age would take its toll on any couple though, as it is very hard to handle just one till they are 2 years old, so to have 2 with such small age difference would add more difficulties…
Also, I wonder, since they were together for a decade, if having children only years and years later has anything to do with their problems.
I know at least one couple who that was one of the reasons they waited to have children and a sign that things weren’t going so well for them.
I tend to think there was an affair or substance abuse.
They have lots of money for nannies, so they don’t face the same stresses normal couples do with childcare.
They were married 5-6 years before they had their first child, it wasn’t really that long, although she did wait until the last biological minute. But they are both career actors who have to battle for work, so it’s not surprising.
This is a weird break up since they just had two kids. I wonder if he is interested in someone else. He doesn’t look happy in any of the photos.
Yet another marriage ruined by the onset of offspring…
Noooooooooo!1