This just proves you never know how a relationship might evolve!

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor may have been married for more than two decades at this point (even finding their way back to each other after a brief split), but they NEVER even intended for any of this to happen!

In Monday’s episode of Christine’s podcast, Hey Dude… The ’90s Called, which she hosts with her Hey Dude co-star (and ex-boyfriend) David Lascher, the Zoolander star made a guest appearance in which he broke down exactly how the couple first got together!

Related: Taylor Lautner Shares His Side Of VMA Scandal With Ex Taylor Swift & Kanye!

Christine was the first to admit the pair started out very casually, revealing:

“We were both each other’s, I would say, like, sort of rebound relationship a little bit.”

Whoa! From rebounds to lifelong partners! Who would’ve thunk it?! The actor echoed his wife’s sentiments, teasing:

“We weren’t taking it seriously.”

The pair first met while making the 1999 TV pilot Heat Vision and Jack, which Christine guest starred in and Ben directed. They hit it off so well, the 57-year-old invited the actress to come with him on his next project, he recalled:

“We had a fun time making the show and then Christine and I connected and then I went off to do a movie [Keeping the Faith] in New York and I invited her to come hang out.”

And just like that, they were attached at the hip, the 51-year-old noted:

“I ended up going and staying the entire summer.”

Aw!!

Both stars have had some pretty famous relationships before landing in their rebound-turned-forever romance. Ben has dated the likes of Jeanne Tripplehorn, Calista Flockhart, and Amanda Peet while Christine was with Neil Patrick Harris for one year, long before he publicly came out as gay in 2006.

Despite taking things very casually at first, Ben and Christine actually ended up getting married just one year after they met! ‘Cause when you know, you know! Funny enough, the comedian joked that their engagement was very similar to a movie he was making at the time, sharing:

“We got engaged around when I was shooting Meet the Parents … Christine’s dad had a security company — and still does — and so it was kind of this weird parallel. He was very much like the Robert De Niro character to me.”

The Brady Bunch Movie alum chimed in:

“Dad, I know you’re listening. You were not intimidating.”

LOLz!

Related: Gisele Bündchen Breaks Silence On Tom Brady’s Second Retirement!

As mentioned, Ben wasn’t the only one of Christine’s lovers on the podcast. She co-hosts the show with David, whom she dated while they were teenagers filming the Nickelodeon comedy, which aired from 1989 to 1991. During the episode, Ben asked David how he’d gotten along with Taylor’s mother during the relationship, to which he replied:

“Is there a sweeter person on the planet?”

The Night at the Museum star seems to have a different relationship with her since he fired back:

“If she approves of you.”

Ooooh. Sounds like Ben finds both of his wife’s parents intimidating! And he might have some firsthand experience of his mother-in-law not approving of him, too! We can come up with one guess for why: Ben and Christine actually broke up for about four years!

The couple got married in 2000 and welcomed daughter Ella, 20, and son Quinlin, 17, but in May 2017, they announced they were separating. Then the pandemic rolled around and they were able to rekindle their spark. In February 2022, they confirmed they were back on! Stiller told Esquire:

“We were separated and got back together and we’re happy about that. It’s been really wonderful for all of us. Unexpected, and one of the things that came out of the pandemic.”

Another source told Us Weekly the breakup was a “serious eye-opener” for the New York native, especially since he “missed [Christine] terribly and hated the idea of their kids growing up in a broken home.” We’re glad to see they found their way back to each other and are doing so well now! Perhaps keeping things casual is what works best for them?!

[Image via MEGA/WENN]