Photos : Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron: Timeline of their private relationship that lasted 20 years
On Friday 5 April, Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen announced that they split up in 2023.
The pair had been together for over twenty years, and share three children together. Let's take a look at their relationship timeline.
The actors met at a party in Sydney, Australia. Cohen later said it had been ‘love at first sight’.
In 2004, fans were thrilled to find out the pair had got engaged!
In 2007, they welcomed their first daughter, Olivia.
In 2010, Isla gave brith to their second daughter. The couple named her Elula.
In 2011, the pair got married in a private ceremony in Paris.
Prior to the wedding, Isla revealed that she had converted to Judaism to honor her husband-to-be. 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.'
The pair had their third child and first son, Montgomery, in April 2015.
In 2016, Isla and Sacha worked together for the first time on their movie The Brothers Grimsby.
Unfortunately, the film made headlines again when Rebel Wilson, who starred in it, made accusations against Sacha. In March 2024, she claimed that he was an 'a**h***’ to her on set and threatened her against telling her story in her Rebel Rising memoir.
In 2017, Isla acknowledged that she likes to keep her private life private. She said: ‘Nowadays, we are so used to everyone sharing everything that I’ve become an interesting news story for keeping a secret.’
The actress added: ‘But I do have an open-door policy and people come over all of the time. I do big Shabbat dinners. Everybody gets access to my family time once a week.’
In February 2019, Isla shared a snap of her and part of Sacha - she captioned it: ‘Happy Valentines Day to my husband. Sorry I had to crop you out of this snap but honestly this is such a great photo of me.’
In 2019, Isla shared a video of Sacha working out with the caption: ‘So proud of the Hubs @sachabaroncohen getting a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a limited series. He worked so hard transforming for his role in The Spy - not just getting rid of his dad-bod (see video) but learning three dialects, including Syrian and living in Casablanca, mainly in character for 4 months while shooting.’
In 2020, Isla took to social media to praise her husband on his birthday. She wrote: ‘Happy Birthday boo 🎂. You have had an amazing year as an activist, actor, father and husband. Thank you for trying as hard as you can to make the world a better place 💕❤️’
It was in this same year that the couple moved their family to Australia. The Aussie actress said at the time: ‘I’m the happiest when I’m home. I miss it when I’m not here. I don’t feel any pressure when I’m in Australia. I don’t have to say or do or be anything. I mean, I don’t even have to wear shoes.’
In 2021, Isla once again celebrated her husband on Instagram: ‘So proud of hubby for tying the record of the most Golden Globe nominations in a single year - best supporting actor, best comedy actor, best comedy.. What a great birthday present.’
Again in 2021, after Sacha's film Borat: Subsequent Movie Film received two Golden Globe awards, the comedian thanked his wife: ‘Thank you to my incredibly patient wife Isla, who has put up with all my madness.’
In that same year, Sacha shared a post on the couple's 20th anniversary: "'If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever’, Winnie the Pooh. Happy Anniversary my love. I’m writing this rather than getting you a card. Our duration is largely due to our location - after all Hollywood is the bastion of lengthy marriages.”
In 2022, Isla again spoke about the benefits of privacy: 'Having a shared ability to find humor in the sharpness of life is always going to bring connection ... And otherwise, I just think it's nice to keep some things for yourself.'
In 2023, Isla and Sacha were spotted kissing while on a trip to Rome together.
But we now know that it was in that same year that the couple split up.
Isla and Sacha announced their split with their usual humour in May 2024. They posted a snap of the pair in tennis gear and wrote: ‘After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down. In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritized our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change.’
It has since come out that Isla contacted a divorce lawyer two years ago. However, their split does indeed seem to have been amicable, with the pair focusing on the well-being of their children.
When the couple publicised their divorce, Cohen was going through a nightmare of his own.
Indeed, Rebel Wilson has accused the Borat actor of inappropriate behaviour and harrassment—and she wrote about it in her book Rebel Rising.
She says that the actor wanted her to be naked in a future scene, to which she vehemently said no. According to her, he then went on to pull down his own pants and asked her to ‘stick your finger up my a**’.
Cohen's spokesperson has denied the allegations.
Isla Fisher has stayed mum on the allegations. It is unknown whether they affected their relationship or led to the divorce of the couple.
Wilson also revealed that while she was friends with Fisher before, they are no longer on speaking terms. She said: ‘I used to be friends with her before all this happened. We did a movie together called Bachelorette. And so, yeah, I haven’t spoken to her.'
