Yahoo Finance Amy Poehler and Will Arnett's Relationship Timeline
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett got married in 2003 and finalized their divorce in 2016
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Amy Poehler and Will Arnett were a comedic power couple.
The two actors first met in the '90s, when Arnett saw Poehler's improv group perform in New York City. Arnett found the Saturday Night Live alum "really cute," but the pair didn't connect romantically until they were re-introduced by mutual friends in 2000.
They went on to share the screen on a number of occasions, from playing siblings-who-kiss in Blades of Glory to guest starring on their respective TV shows, including Poehler's Parks and Recreation and Arnett's Arrested Development.
The couple wed in 2003 — Poehler's first marriage, and Arnett's second, after a brief union with Penelope Ann Miller — and later welcomed two children together: sons Archie and Abel.
While they split in 2012, they continue to amicably co-parent their two sons. 10 years after their breakup, Arnett told The Guardian that their kids are "so lucky that Amy is their mother."
From their earliest outings together to their split and co-parenting journey, here's everything to know about Amy Poehler and Will Arnett's relationship.
1996: Will Arnett develops a "crush" on Amy Poehler
Arnett first laid eyes on his future wife in 1996, when Poehler was performing with the improv troupe that she helped found, Upright Citizens Brigade, at a theater in New York City in 1996.
"I went with my then-girlfriend, and she was like, 'You have a crush on that girl!' " Arnett told PEOPLE in 2005 of his first impression of Poehler. "Amy did stick out. She was fantastic and obviously really cute."
2000: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett start dating
The pair were properly introduced by mutual friends and by late 2000 their romance had blossomed into a full-blown relationship.
May 11, 2002: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett make one of their first public appearances together
Poehler and Arnett stepped out for the screening of the 2002 film Insomnia at the Tribeca Arts Center in N.Y.C. in May 2002, marking one of their first public outings together as a couple.
August 2003: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett get married
The Mean Girls star and BoJack Horseman voice actor said "I do" in August 2003 after three years together.
Three months later, Arnett's now-hit show Arrested Development premiered on Fox.
March 2004: Amy Poehler joins Will Arnett on Arrested Development
Poehler and Arnett first shared the screen when she joined him on Arrested Development, playing the seal-hunting wife of his character G.O.B. She appeared alongside him on five episodes of the show's first two seasons.
April 18, 2005: Amy Poehler says she and Will Arnett have "contests" to see who can be sillier
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In an interview with PEOPLE, the Parks and Recreation star opened up about her and Arnett's relationship dynamic.
"We both have no problem looking like idiots to each other or other people," the actress said. "We will stand in the bathroom in front of our double sinks and have contests to see who can make the queerest, most disgusting face. It gets serious. Like, 'Good job. How about this?' "
She noted that they often try to get a laugh out of each other in extravagant ways. "One July 4th, Will came out in a stars-and-stripes apron with nothing underneath," she laughed.
Jokes aside, Poehler also said that her marriage to Arnett offered her a sense of security.
"He makes me feel very safe. You can have a lot of adventures if you have someone by your side," she said.
March 2007: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett star in Blades of Glory together
The pair took on the role of hyper-competitive figure skating partners — who, quite notably, are also siblings — in 2007's Blades of Glory, their first movie together.
"We had the opportunity to work together every day, so that was kind of great," Arnett told Collider about making the Will Ferrell-headlined comedy together. "It was a lot of fun, and obviously, to play brother and sister was kind of ..." he trailed off. "Creepy," Poehler chimed in.
April 2008: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett announce that they're expecting their first child together
The couple shared their pregnancy news in April 2008, noting that they did not know the baby's sex as they wanted to keep it a surprise until the delivery.
Later that summer, Poehler spoke to PEOPLE about her first pregnancy. "I've been very lucky," she said. "I'm feeling good, and I'm just overwhelmed with blessings."
September 21, 2008: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett attend the Emmy Awards
A pregnant Poehler showed off her baby bump as she and Arnett posed together at the 2008 Emmys, where she received her first-ever Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for Saturday Night Live.
She also presented that evening alongside longtime best friend Tina Fey.
October 25, 2008: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett welcome their first child together
The actors welcomed their first child together on Oct. 25, 2008, a son named Archibald "Archie" William Emerson.
Baby Archie was born in N.Y.C., weighing 8 lbs. 1 oz. The family of three were "all healthy and resting comfortably," Poehler's rep shared at the time, adding that the little one's moniker was in honor of his dad, whose full name is William Emerson Arnett.
Poehler's SNL co-anchor Seth Meyers announced the happy news to viewers during their Weekend Update segment, saying: "Amy Poehler is not here tonight because she is having a baby."
2009: Will Arnett reveals it was love at first sight for him and Amy Poehler
The Up All Night star told PEOPLE in 2009 that when he first saw Poehler performing standup, he "immediately had a talent crush" on her.
"The first time I saw her onstage, I said, 'I'm gonna marry that girl,' " he said.
June 14, 2010: Will Arnett presents Amy Poehler with a Webby Award
Arnett and his Arrested Development castmate Jason Bateman hilariously presented Poehler with the best actress Webby Award in 2010 for her YouTube series, Smart Girls at the Party. The actors appeared to accidentally swap lines, with Bateman saying he "would give her the Webby for the best wife."
"The possibilities for this woman are seemingly endless," Arnett began, jokingly adding: "In fact, some say if it wasn't for some dead weight that she's been lugging around, who knows where she'd be … what the f---- is this?"
Upon accepting her award, Poehler planted a quick kiss on each of the actors.
August 6, 2010: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett welcome their second child together
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The proud parents welcomed their second baby together, son Abel James Arnett, on Aug. 6, 2010. Baby Abel weighed in at 7 lbs., 13 oz. and joined his older brother Archie.
"Amy, Will, Abel and Archie are all healthy and resting comfortably," shared Poehler's rep.
September 6, 2012: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett split
After nine years of marriage, the couple separated in early September 2012.
A rep for both actors confirmed to PEOPLE that the comedians were going their separate ways, though neither Poehler nor Arnett made statements about the split themselves.
June 2013: Will Arnett says that dating again "seems very scary"
Several months after announcing their split, Arnett opened up to now-defunct Details magazine about moving on from his marriage, noting he wasn't "officially dating" yet.
"Yeah, I don't know what you do," he said. "Do you put out an announcement in the trades? I'M DATING! It all seems very scary to me, to be honest. So I'm kind of keeping pretty close counsel right now."
Around the same time, Poehler began dating fellow comedian Nick Kroll, though they later split in 2015.
April 8, 2014: Will Arnett files for divorce from Amy Poehler
Two years after announcing their separation, Arnett officially filed for divorce from Poehler. He requested joint legal and physical custody of their two sons, Archie and Abel, along with visitation rights.
October 28, 2014: Amy Poehler discusses her divorce in her memoir, Yes Please
The actress offered some rare insight into her split from Arnett in her 2014 memoir, Yes Please.
"I don't want to talk about my divorce because it is too sad and too personal," she wrote, noting that she avoids speaking about it because "I also don't like people knowing my s---."
Still, 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] ten-year marriage constitutes failure," she wrote. "That being said, getting a divorce really sucks."
August 2016: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett's divorce is finalized
The former couple's divorce was finalized in August 2016, nearly four years after their split. Court records showed that neither of them would receive spousal support and that they would share joint custody of their sons, according to CBS News.
April 26, 2020: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett appear on a Canadian COVID-19 benefit together
The co-parents surprised fans when they appeared side-by-side during a cameo on Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble, a Canadian television special that supported Food Banks Canada and frontline workers early on in the pandemic, per Twitter.
The appearance sparked speculation that they were quarantining together amid the coronavirus pandemic — a pattern among a number of celebrity exes who strove to navigate co-parenting amid stay-at-home regulations.
May 27, 2020: Will Arnett welcomes his third child with girlfriend Alessandra Brawn
Arnett became a dad for the third time in 2020, after welcoming a son with girlfriend Alessandra Brawn. The pair reportedly met and went public with their relationship in 2019, attending the Creative Arts Emmys together that September.
The new addition, named Alexander Denison Arnett, joined Arnett's sons with Poehler as well as Brawn's son from a previous marriage.
February 8, 2022: Will Arnett opens about his "brutal" split from Amy Poehler
In an interview with The Guardian, Arnett opened about his painful divorce and how he moved on from it. "Just brutal, brutal, brutal," he told the outlet of trying to film Arrested Development in the aftermath of their breakup.
"I was driving to the set one day and I pulled over to the side of the road and cried for an hour." he said.
He added that the public fanfare around his breakup made it particularly painful. "People talk about you like they know you and they talk about your relationship as if they know what's going on," he explained. "So imagine how weird that is. It's brutal with any relationship, and we have kids."
He continued, "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.'"
Arnett noted that the former pair are more involved in each other's lives now than they were previously, saying: "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."
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