Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher’s Relationship Timeline

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher seemed like a match made in heaven: The two hilarious and talented comedic stars met each other over 20 years ago and have been married for nearly 14 years. They’ve always managed to keep their relationship and family life very private, but whenever they did speak about each other publicly, every statement was always full of love. Unfortunately, the couple announced their decision to separate on April 5, 2024, noting that they had jointly filed for divorce in 2023. Below, we track Sacha and Isla's decades-long relationship, from their sweet, love-at-first-sight meeting and their move to Australia to their divorce statement.

• Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher met in 2001 and instantly bonded while joking around together. 
• In March 2010, they got married in an extremely private ceremony in Paris. 
• They have three children together and now live in Australia.
• On April 5, 2024, the couple announced that they had filed for divorce in 2023.

2001: First Meeting

The future couple met at what Sacha described as “a very pretentious party” in Sydney, Australia in 2001 and instantly hit it off. Sacha later told the New York Times that they had bonded over “taking the mick out of the other people in the party.” 

For Sacha, it was without a doubt love at first sight. He said Isla was “hilarious,” and added, “I knew instantly. I don’t know if she did. It’s taken her about 20 years to know.” 

2004: Engagement Announcement

After very quietly dating for about three years, Sacha and Isla took their relationship to the next level. Their engagement lasted several years, and during that time, Isla converted to Judaism for Sacha. 

In an interview with the Evening Standard, Isla explained, “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.” 

October 17, 2007: Olive Cohen Is Born 

Before tying the knot, Sacha and Isla welcomed their first child into the world, a girl named Olive. They kept the details of her birth under wraps. 

March 15, 2010: Secret Wedding

After six years of being engaged, the couple got married in a very small and private ceremony in Paris. Only six guests attended, and in order to keep the paparazzi and cameras away, Sacha told the New York Times that he had his father pretend to be a famous chef celebrating his 70th birthday. 

Isla had previously explained their reasoning behind the small ceremony to Allure, saying, “It [was] very important to me to have a beautiful ritual celebrated with my family and friends. And when you are in the public eye, to keep that private and to make it happen without it being really visible is really difficult.”

August 2011: Elula Lottie Miriam Cohen Is Born

A year after getting married, Sacha and Isla welcomed their second child into the world: a daughter named Elula, which means “August” in Hebrew. They kept her name a secret for weeks, and Isla later told Us Weekly, “Motherhood is my favorite topic but I never talk about it publicly. As much as I love what I am doing, and I am so fortunate to have the opportunities that I have had, my responsibility is to my family.”

2012: A Happy Marriage

During a rare moment of speaking openly about her relationship with Sacha, Isla revealed how happy she was to be married to him. “Choosing to be together every day is incredibly romantic. I love marriage. I think it’s a wonderful institution and it’s the most important decision you make,” she told Australia’s Sunday Telegraph. She continued, “Life is filled with highs and lows, and you have a best friend to share it with you. It’s amazing. It’s like winning the lottery, having a good partner.” 

March 17, 2015: Montgomery Moses Brian Cohen Is Born

Sacha and Isla added to their family in 2015 when Isla gave birth to their first son. It was months before they revealed the baby’s gender or name. 

2016: First Film Together

About 15 years into their relationship, the couple worked together on screen for the first time. They co-starred in the movie The Brothers Grimsby, where Sacha played a man from a small English fishing village looking for his long-lost brother. Isla talked about the experience in an interview on Lorraine, saying, “This is the first time we’ve worked together. He’s such a perfectionist. He’ll do everything and anything to get the best joke possible into the movie, so it was definitely inspirational. He’s so funny on set and it was a lot of fun.” 

October 2016: Awkward Family Moments

As an actor, Sacha is known for taking on wild roles and constantly pushing boundaries, which has made things a little weird for Isla. In a 2016 interview with Square Mile magazine, Isla opened up about some awkward family moments, like the time she invited her dad and stepmother to visit Sacha on a movie set without checking the call sheet to see which scene he would be filming. She said that they were looking for Sacha when “suddenly my husband popped his head out of the elephant’s vagina and proceeded to fight against the other elephant’s erect penis. I saw my stepmom's face—and my mouth was just opening and closing like a goldfish, but no words came out.”

October 2017: Staying Private

Sacha and Isla notoriously keep their children out of the public eye and rarely even speak about them in interviews. During an interview with Today, Isla explained this, saying, “If you speak about your children or if you take them to a red carpet event, you can’t be litigious later on where there is a picture of them in something and say, ‘Hey, they deserve anonymity,’ but they do. They have rights, too. It’s a very conscious decision and truly I would feel really disgusting about myself if I used my family to sell something. It wouldn’t sit right with me. It doesn’t line up with my values.” 

July 1, 2020: A New Dog

In the summer of 2020, the couple added one more family member: a dog named Maisy. 

November 2020: Moving to Australia 

When Sacha and Isla moved to Australia in the fall of 2020, it seemed to be a long time coming. In a 2018 interview with Marie Claire, Isla had stated that she had a “secret fantasy of slowing down, moving to Byron Bay, getting off the grid and sitting on the sand with a Vegemite sandwich.” 

After the move, Isla told Stellar magazine that she felt “so safe” in Australia, adding, “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.”

December 2020: Sacha’s Impact on Isla

In an interview with People, Isla revealed that Sacha was the reason she started taking on comedic roles in Hollywood and explained that before she took his advice, she was auditioning for dramatic roles and getting rejected. She said, “He said, ‘You’re one of the funniest people I know. You should be doing comedy.” 

Isla also told The Examiner that she was “losing confidence” as an actress when he made the recommendation. “He felt that I was really funny, so when someone as funny as him recommends that, I listened and actually auditioned for Wedding Crashers, which ended up being my big break.” 

February 28, 2021: Public Acknowledgement 

When Sacha’s film, Borat: Subsequent Movie Film, won two Golden Globes, Isla appeared virtually by his side during his acceptance speeches as he thanked her. While accepting the award for Best Picture, Comedy, he said, “Thank you to my incredibly patient wife Isla, who has put up with all my madness.” 

While speaking to reporters about his win later on, Sacha added, “It’s impossible to make a movie like this without having an incredibly supporting spouse. You know, I went and made two movies in the last 12 months: [The Trial of the] Chicago Seven and Borat 2. And these aren’t normal shoot days; you’re calling up sometimes at the end of the day and just saying, ‘I was lucky to make it out in one piece today,’ so you need a very, very understanding wife. And I’m very lucky to have it.”

December 7, 2021: The Couple Celebrates 20 Years of Marriage

On December 7, 2021, the couple celebrated 20 years of marriage. The two took to their Instagram pages to share equally heartfelt and comedic tributes to one another.

Sacha included an array of photos with the caption, "Happy Anniversary" with a red heart emoji, "20 YEARS." He continued, "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." He jokingly added, "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."

February 3, 2022: Sacha's Birthday Tribute to Isla

On February 3, 2022, Sacha took to Instagram to commemorate his wife's birthday with a sweet post. He shared an old photo of Isla sitting upon his shoulders with the caption: "Wanting to celebrate a red-haired Scottish, Arabic, Aussie, Jewish brilliant woman who is, it appears, my wife. Or as Borat would say - 'Jageshemash.' Happy birthday to you Isla."

March 3, 2022: A Hand in Matchmaking

In March 2022, Courteney Cox appeared on the Howard Stern show where she attributed her relationship with Johnny McDaid to the couple. At a party one night at Courteney's home, a handful of stars got together, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and the Snow Patrol members. When Snow Patrol member, Johnny McDaid, began playing piano, Courteney told Isla about her instant crush. After Isla told Sacha about Courteney's interest, Sacha took it upon himself to walk up to Johnny and say "Hey! Courteney wants to f--- one of you from Snow Patrol. And it's not you, Gary.'"

June 2022: Date Night

This adorable pair continues to keep the spark alive by prioritizing quality time. Isla took to her Instagram to share a sweet selfie of the two of them with the caption, "Date Night," followed by a red heart emoji.

April 5, 2024: Isla and Sacha Announce Their Divorce

After almost 14 years of marriage, Isla and Sacha announced that they were calling it quits on April 5, 2024, reports Page Six. The couple posted their joint statement on their Instagram Stories: "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 prioritized 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."