Why Did Actors Amy Poehler and Will Arnett Divorce? Inside Their Split

The love lives of Hollywood stars have always been forever changing, with splits, divorces, and situationships galore. However, there are some couples who managed to end their relationship while still maintaining a close friendship — such as actors Amy Poehler and Will Arnett.

Amy and Will were the couple that comedy fans dreamed of, their witty, biting and infectious humor endeared them to audiences for years — and eventually each other, when they began dating back in 2000.

In September 2012, Amy and Will officially announced their separation after nine years of marriage, but they did not initially divorce right away.

Two years later, in April 2014, Will filed for divorce from Amy and requested joint legal and physical custody of their two children, as well as visitation rights, according to People.

Per People, in her 2014 memoir, Yes, Please, Amy candidly addressed the divorce, which both parties stated was painful. "I don't want to talk about my divorce because it is too sad and too personal," she wrote in the book, adding that she avoids discussing it because "I also don't like people knowing my s--t.”

Amy continued, writing that there were "a few things" she wanted to clear up. "I am proud of how my ex-husband, Will, and I have been taking care of our children. I am beyond grateful he is their father, and I don't think a [nearly] 10-year marriage constitutes failure," she wrote. "That being said, getting a divorce really sucks."

"Any painful experience makes you see things differently. It also reminds you of the simple truths that we purposely forget every day or else we would never get out of bed,” Amy continued. “Things like, nothing lasts forever and relationships can end. The best that can happen is you learn a little more about what you can handle and you stay soft through the pain. Perhaps you feel wiser. Maybe your experience can be of help to others."

In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Will shared how difficult it was navigating his split from Amy. "Just brutal, brutal, brutal," he said of their divorce . "I was driving to the set one day and I pulled over to the side of the road and cried for an hour."

"People talk about you like they know you and they talk about your relationship as if they know what's going on," Will continued. "So imagine how weird that is. It's brutal with any relationship, and we have kids. And without getting into specifics, you then see stuff online, like, this one journalist wrote: 'I'm Team Amy.' I'm like: 'You're a grown person. What are you talking about? This is a breakup. This is a family. This isn't some game.'"

"It's been almost 10 years and my kids are so lucky that Amy is their mother," he added. "And I'm so lucky that we're such a huge part of each other's lives, even more so than we were five years ago."