Were many people surprised by the news about Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher’s divorce? The biggest surprise, to me, was that they filed last year and managed to keep everything quiet for so long. Nothing spilled out into People Magazine or TMZ or the Daily Mail. Now, of course, there’s a lot of gossip. All of those outlets have exclusives about how the marriage has been dead for years, and Isla and Sacha were fighting constantly. From Us Weekly:

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher’s marriage had been rocky long before they officially separated, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly. Cohen, 52, and Fisher, 48, had been “at odds,” bitterly fighting over their respective professional commitments and family responsibilities, according to the insiders.

While neither Cohen nor Fisher further addressed what led to their separation, a second source recalls the pair having a “heated argument” at an A-list Hollywood hotspot. Per the eyewitness, Cohen and Fisher “furiously argued” over their conflicting filming schedules, promotional tours and childcare demands.

“They have been living separate lives since last year but wanted to give this space and time for their children to be OK with this before the news came out and they got all this attention,” another source told Us earlier this week. “They are notoriously very private people and wanted to focus on their family.”

The insider did note that the split had “nothing to do” with Rebel Wilson, who accused Cohen of misconduct on the set of 2016’s The Brothers Grimsby. Wilson, 44, laid out her claims in her Rebel Rising memoir, which dropped earlier in April, before Cohen denied the accusations.

[From Us Weekly]

Once we learned that Isla has apparently wanted out for a while, I figured it didn’t have much to do with Rebel Wilson name-checking Cohen as an abusive a–hole. Although I bet Rebel’s memoir had something to do with WHEN Cohen and Fisher announced the divorce, just not the divorce itself. And yes, I absolutely believe that Cohen liked having a wife who just stayed home and took care of the children. Isla has only worked sporadically and usually just smaller roles since they got married. Meanwhile, the Mail claims that Isla was contacting divorce lawyers as far back as 2022:

Isla Fisher reportedly told friends she was seeking the advice of a formidable celebrity divorce lawyer in 2022 before her split from her estranged husband Sacha Baron Cohen. Actress Isla, 48, is said to have quietly got in touch with Baroness Fiona Shackleton, who charges £550 per hour and was the legal expert who was involved in Sir Paul McCartney’s £24million split from Heather Mills.

When Isla contacted Baroness Shackleton in 2022 she is said to have advised the screen star and Sacha, who reportedly have a prenup, to go down the ‘amicable route’. It has been claimed Isla and Sacha, who have three children, could attempt to come to a settlement over Sacha’s £40million estate.

A source told The Sun: ‘Isla has known for some time the marriage was over, and after some difficult conversations with Sacha, made the decision to consult a divorce lawyer. This was back in early summer, 2022. Fiona Shackleton was recommended by mutual contacts, and Isla was put in touch with an associate at the office. It was also suggested she seek out a lawyer in the US, where the couple have a home. Fiona is an incredible lawyer, and utterly fearsome in both reputation and ability.’

They went on to say it was suggested the pair attempt to keep things as amicable as possible for the sake of their children. But, if things do turn sour, Fiona will ensure she does a thorough job for her client Isla. Borat star Sacha is said to have spoken to Laura Wasser who represented Johnny Depp when he split from Amber Heard, and was involved in Angelina Jolie’s divorce from Brad Pitt.

[From The Daily Mail]

But… Isla and Sacha reside in the US, don’t they? Why would Isla contact a British divorce lawyer? Weird. And if Cohen consulted Laura Wasser, Wasser probably told him the same thing – try to work things out amicably and don’t let everything spill out into public. If Cohen is being represented by Wasser, we know two things: one, Fisher probably got screwed in the divorce and two, that’s why everything stayed so quiet.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Isla’s IG.