Why Did Ali Wong and Husband Justin Hakuta Split? "It’s Been This Beautiful Beginning"

In her newest Netflix special, Ali Wong: Single Lady, comedian Ali Wong dishes on life after divorce from her husband of eight years, Justin Hakuta. Justin and Ali met at a wedding reception in 2010, and following a few years of dating, they tied the knot in 2014. The pair were happily married for over a half a decade, welcoming two daughters in 2015 and 2017, before shocking the world with news of their divorce in 2022.

Now, Ali is in a relationship with another high-profile comedian, Bill Hader, and they seem adorable together. But following a recent interview in which Ali shared that she still considers her ex-husband to be her best friend, folks are wondering why they called it quits in the first place.

So, why did Ali and Justin get a divorce?

After eight years of marriage, Justin and Ali announced their divorce in late 2022 to the surprise of fans — and as for their reasoning, all folks knew at the time was that they cited "irreconcilable differences" in their filing. However, in her newest comedy special at the time, Don Wong, Ali made several references to their failing relationship and even hinted that she had fantasized about cheating.

"If you’re romantically involved with somebody and then all of the sudden that somebody reveals a personality trait that you don’t like, you could just leave, move to another city and never see their stupid face again," she joked. "Because you didn’t make a promise in front of your grandma and all of your co-workers, and ask your friends to buy you an Instant Pot."

At the time, though, sources revealed that the split was amicable and that the pair were committed to co-parenting their children.

And now, Ali has revealed that her divorce from Justin actually brought the two closer.

While appearing on Today with Hoda and Jenna, Ali told the audience that she and Justin were still incredibly close.

"With divorce, it’s the same thing where people look at it like this sad ending and that’s just not been the case for me," she explained. "It’s been this beautiful beginning to many new adventures, and one being — sincerely — the friendship with the father of my children."

She continued, "There’s value in every relationship and you learn something new from every person about what you like and what you don’t like. ... I’m friends with exes from my twenties in college."

And during her 2024 Golden Globes acceptance speech for Beef, Ali gave her ex-husband a heartfelt shoutout: "I really need to thank the father of my children and my best friend, Justin, for all of your love and support. It's because of you that I'm able to be a working mother."