Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen‘s divorce came as a shock — but the pair did subtly hint at the decision in the months leading up to the news.
Fisher, 48, and Cohen, 52, took to Instagram Story on Friday, April 5, to announce their split.
“After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down. In 2023, we jointly filed to end our marriage,” their joint statement read. “We have always prioritized our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change. We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy.”
The former couple, who share three kids, have previously defended their decision to keep their relationship out of the spotlight.
“I get nervous talking about it because I feel like, by not having my relationship in the public domain and not having spoken about how we met or really talked about our marriage publicly, it’s remained something private and valuable to me,” Fisher told The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2022. “I don’t know if that’s the secret.”
She continued: But having a shared ability to find humor in the sharpness of life is always going to bring connection. And, otherwise, I just think it’s nice to keep some things for yourself.”
Despite choosing to keep certain aspects of their romance private, Fisher and Cohen made many red carpet appearances together. They also used social media to gush over each other before their breakup.
“Happy Anniversary ❤️ 20 YEARS,” Cohen wrote via Instagram in December 2021. “Happy Anniversary my love. I’m writing this rather than getting you a card. Our duration is largely due to our location — after all Hollywood is the bastion of lengthy marriages.”
Keep scrolling for signs that Fisher and Cohen were heading for a split:
Lack of Social Media Posts
Fisher and Cohen used their individual social media accounts to offer glimpses into their marriage over the years. Before announcing their split, Fisher’s last post with Cohen was in November 2023.
“Off screen date & on screen date #wolflikeme #outnow,” she captioned an Instagram selfie with Cohen and her Wolf Like Me costar Josh Gad.
Fisher has since used her platform to promote her projects, share photos from a tropical getaway and highlight a girls’ night out in April with Naomi Watts and Michelle Dockery. Cohen was not featured in any of Fisher’s most recent uploads.
As for Cohen, the actor has not been active since December 2023, which according to the duo, is when they had already filed for divorce.
Solo Outing
One month before their split news, Fisher enjoyed a night out at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. The actress rocked a stunning black gown with a thigh-high slit as she posed for photos on the red carpet — without a date.
Fisher and Cohen have attended numerous events together throughout the marriage.
Missed Birthday Message
Five years in a row — since 2019 — Cohen wished his wife a happy birthday with a message on social media. The actor broke that tradition in February 2024, when he didn’t publicly address Fisher’s birthday.
Fisher acknowledged her special day by sharing a photo of a monkey with a caption that read, “Happy Birthday to me! Felt cute may delete later 😘.”
Not Weighing In on the Drama
Fisher and Cohen’s first movie that they worked on together was The Brothers Grimsby, which came out in 2016. The movie made headlines again in March 2024 when Cohen’s former costar Rebel Wilson accused him of threatening her.
Before her Rebel Rising memoir was released, Wilson mentioned a former costar trying to prevent her from releasing the book due to excerpts about her experience on a toxic set. She subsequently named Cohen as the person in question.
A rep for Cohen, meanwhile, addressed the accusations, telling Us Weekly in a statement, “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.”
Fisher, for her part, didn’t address the controversy. She previously discussed her experience working with Cohen, sharing in a 2016 interview, “He’s such a perfectionist. He’ll do everything and anything to get the best joke possible into the movie, so it was definitely inspirational. He’s so funny on set and it was a lot of fun.”
A source also told Us that Wilson’s claims had nothing to do with Cohen and Fisher’s split.
“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,” a source told Us in April. “They are notoriously very private people and wanted to focus on their family.”
