After a long seventeen years of marriage, Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor got separated in 2017. Although much of the media has been reporting that the couple is divorced, the legal status of their relationship is best described as ‘separated’. They have even been spotted together after the separation and this has led many to believe they may get back together. The end of their union led to a Ben Stiller vs Christine Taylor row with many wondering who makes more money since they parted ways.
How Ben and Christine’s Careers Fared While They Were Married
The-then prospective couples crossed paths as a result of career involvement. Ben was directing the 1999 comedy science fiction pilot show, Heat Vision And Jack (ordered by FOX) while Christine was making a guest appearance as ‘The Sherriff’ in the show. Soon, the two fell for each other and got married roughly a year later on May 13, 2000.
Meanwhile, Ben Stiller’s career had taken off twenty-five years earlier in 1975 while that of Christine Taylor had been on for 11 years, having kicked off in 1989. By that time, Christine had already filled no less than 15 roles in film and TV. As for Ben, his eponymous MTV (and later on FOX) program The Ben Stiller Show had been on the air for 11 years and had won an Emmy which already marked him out in the industry. Besides, while Christine was only a TV and film actress, Ben already had his reputation established as a stand-up artist besides his credits in film, TV, and music videos.
While they were married for seventeen years, they worked together in a number of projects such as the 2001 action comedy film Zoolander, which Ben directed and starred as the protagonist Derek Zoolander with Christine starring as Matilda Jeffries. In the highly grossing 2004 sports comedy film, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Ben starred and served as a producer while Christine only starred therein.
Another film which saw them work together is the 2008 film Tropic Thunder (which was also a huge box office hit). Ben Stiller was both the writer and director and did not only star but was the protagonist (Tugg Speedman) while Christine acted in a minor role as ‘Rebecca’. It is also the case in several films where the couple worked together except in a few cases like FOX’s sitcom Arrested Development where they both filled recurring roles.
The question about who earned more between Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor while they were married will only get one straight answer. It was obviously Ben Stiller as he earned as an actor, a director, a producer, a musician, and a writer in big projects and also from his stand-up comedy gigs whereas Christine Taylor only earned as an actress in films and TV. Moreover, Ben was already well established by the time their union was contracted. This means a higher likelihood of getting more roles and, therefore, earning more. However, who earns more now between the two?
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Longest Hollywood Marriages: Guess Who Made The List
Ben Stiller vs Christine Taylor: Who Has A Higher Net Worth Since Their Separation?
Ben Stiller currently enjoys an estimated net worth of $200 million while Christine Taylor’s is estimated at a distant $10 million. While this may stand to represent their respective accumulated past earnings (and proves our above conclusion true), the question is, ‘who earns more right now between Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor?
First off, the couple’s jobs have basically remained the same since their split. Christine Taylor remains a TV/film actress while Ben Stiller has worked as an actor in both film and TV and has also been a director and producer. For instance, Christine has featured in the recurring role of ‘Gael Keene’ on Netflix’s web TV series Insatiable, appearing in 2 episodes in 2018 and has also starred as ‘Brianne’ in the 2019 comedy film Friendsgiving which Ben Stiller co-produced. According to Money.com, A-list actors such as Christine Taylor earn between $15 million and $20 million per movie while A-list producers surprisingly earn a distant $750,000 to $1 million. Based on this, it is obvious that Christine is earning far more in Friendsgiving than Ben Stiller.
Since the couple’s 2017 split, Ben Stiller has also made cameo appearances in 6 episodes of NBC’s Saturday Night Live (SNL). Our findings show that first-timers on SNL receive as low as $7,000 per episode which would place Ben’s SNL earning so far at an estimated sum of $42,000. If you add this sum to his top-limit earning ($1 million) in Friendsgiving, it is still a far cry from Christine’s lower limit estimated earning of $15 million. So, judging by the figures before us so far, Christine has probably earned more than Ben Stiller since their split. But only time will tell if this is a function of chance or as a result of their separation.
Also, let it be noted that, although Ben Stiller’s raw earning may be less than that of Christine Taylor since their separation according to our conjecture, the long-term financial value of his roles may be more if you consider the bigger picture. Our findings show that why SNL celebrity appearances are so poorly paid, those celebrities seek the role because of the PR value they get from them, such that they could even have paid for it instead. As Justin Timberlake is quoted to have said after getting paid $5,000 for appearing on SNL, “it’s the best $5,000 you can make”.
What Influenced Ben Stiller’s Career Choice?
The comedic actor, musician, producer, and director was born as Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller on November 30, 1965. Born in New York City, Ben’s parents (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara) were also notable comedic actors in their days. His mother died in May 2015 while his father Jerry is not only alive right now but still active in his comedy career, while his son is fast turning into a veteran in the trade.
From the foregoing, if Ben inherits the career longevity gene and grace from his father, we can expect him to still have years ahead of him which will affect how he is perceived in the industry and ultimately determine what his legacy would be.
Ben’s father is a Jew while his mother was an Irish Catholic. However, when his mother married his father, she converted to Reform Judaism which is what Ben’s father, Jerry, practices. This background in which Ben Stiller grew up has a lot of insight to offer regarding his career success. One way it has influenced him is that such a background has broadened his horizon thereby giving him access to a wider array of information pool from which to pull materials for his jokes. It also makes him freer and more liberal which frees up his demeanor as needed to become a good comedian or comedic actor.
Then, outside the home environment, available facts show that Ben Stiller’s parents had a practice of taking the family to watch live shows across the country – a pointer to how the ace comedian fell in love with live shows. So, one thing we are sure of so far is that comedy had been deeply implanted in Ben Stiller that it will take an extraordinary emotional attachment to Christine Taylor for their separation to affect how much Ben earns afterward. We are going to see what happens as we go on.
How Christine Taylor Rose to Fame
Christine Taylor was born exactly five years and eight months after her future husband Ben Stiller had been born. It was on July 30, 1971, and it was in the nearby state of Pennsylvania. Her father, Albert Taylor III ran a security company while her mother, Joan, was a homemaker. Theirs was a Catholic home, which would one day become a plus in the Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor marriage. Christine also attended Allentown Central Catholic High School in Pennsylvania.
Christine Taylor’s is one of those rare cases where actors debut with a starring role on an established Channel: she set out by portraying a lifeguard named ‘Melody Hanson’, appearing in 5 seasons of Nickelodeon’s Western comedy series Hey Dude between 1989 and 1991. Then, she was ‘Melissa Smock’ in the comedy-drama film Calendar Girl. This was followed by series and series of minor roles intercepted only by her role as ‘Mary’ in FOX’s sitcom Party Girl which saw her appearing in 4 episodes in 1996. In 2005, Christine landed what may turn out to be her longest-running TV role ever, as ‘Sally Sitwell’ in FOX’s sitcom Arrested Development which saw her appearing in 8 episodes between 2005 and 2018.
Other notable roles portrayed by Christine Taylor are ‘Marcia Brady’ in the 1995 comedy film The Brady Bunch Movie and its sequel A Very Brady Sequel in 1996; as ‘Holly Sullivan’ in the 1998 romantic comedy The Wedding Singer; ‘Matilda Jeffries’ in Zoolander (2001) and Zoolander 2 (2016), and ‘Kate Veatch’ in the sports comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). Overall, she has filled over 60 roles in both TV and film.
We have not found any record of Christine Taylor ever going to college in her life. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that her professional career took off while she was eighteen. She has 2 kids with Ben and both of them are co-parenting them.
