The announcement came, as they so often do these days (in an attempt to be buried by the ensuing weekend’s news), on a Friday night. On 5 April, Isla Fisher took to Instagram to release a statement about her shock split from her husband of 14 years, and partner of over 20, Sacha Baron Cohen.
The joint statement, accompanied by a photograph of the couple in tennis whites, read, ‘After a long tennis match lasting over 20 years, we are finally putting our racquets down. In 2023, we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritised 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 timing of the announcement raised eyebrows, coming so soon after intense speculation over Baron Cohen’s alleged treatment of his The Brothers Grimsby co-star Rebel Wilson, after she devoted a chapter of her memoir to her experiences with the comedian. In Rebel Rising, Wilson claims he asked her to perform a lewd act while they were filming the 2016 movie. She said it ‘felt like Sacha Baron Cohen had sexually harassed me’, adding, ‘The movie bombed, which to me was karma enough. I’m not about cancelling anybody and that’s not my motivation... I’m sharing my story now because the more women talk about things like this, hopefully the less it happens.’
Baron Cohen denies the incident or mistreating Wilson, and his representative said 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.’
However, the fact Fisher chose to share news of their break-up that same week didn’t seem like a coincidence to those who know the couple. One source, who has been in their circle for many years, tells Grazia that it felt like the right time for Fisher to let the public know that she and Baron Cohen had parted ways last year. ‘Things had been falling apart for Isla and Sacha for some time, to be very honest,’ said the source. ‘The signs that their relationship might not make it had been there since the pandemic, when they moved their family to Australia, where Sacha wasn’t always very happy.’
Indeed, a report last week claimed that the couple were pushed to the point of no return over a dispute about moving to London, where Baron Cohen, 52, was raised, after spending many years in Fisher’s native Australia, where friends say she was more than happy to stay. Just two months ago, the Wedding Crashers star, 48, opened up about her Valentine’s Day plans with Baron Cohen on The Kelly Clarkson Show– despite their not being together. She said, ‘Every year Sacha does give me a card that [says] “Happy Valentine’s from...” and then there’s a massive question mark, as if anybody else would... as if I have any other Valentines.’
Behind the scenes, say sources, things have been very painful for both parties as they navigate how best to live their lives separately, with their three children, after two decades together. Fisher is said to have enlisted the help of formidable divorce lawyer Baroness Fiona Shackleton, who charges £550 per hour and represented Sir Paul McCartney in his £24m split from Heather Mills in 2008. It’s a fall from grace for a couple who for a long time were one of the most stable in Hollywood and had become a fixture in powerful circles, with A-list friends including Naomi Watts, Courteney Cox and Rosamund Pike.
After meeting at a party in Sydney in 2002, they quickly fell in love. Fisher converted to Baron Cohen’s Jewish faith before their wedding, about which she said, ‘I will definitely have a Jewish wedding just to be with Sacha. I would do anything, move into any religion, to be united in marriage with him. We have a future together and religion comes second to love as far as we are concerned.’
But things changed as the years went on. ‘Isla had been unhappy for some time,’ said the source. ‘She was glad to be back in Australia and for them to be spending more time as a family since the pandemic. Sacha is very work-orientated and loves spending time in LA and London setting up work meetings and is notoriously very intense when it comes to his work.’ Now, the couple are said to be finding their ‘new normal’ for them and their children. ‘It’s such a huge upheaval but this has been their reality for some time,’ said the source. ‘Isla is looking forward to seeing what the future holds.’