Borat star Baron Cohen tied the knot with fellow Hollywood actress Isla - with whom he has Olive,16, Elula,13 and 9-year-old Montgomery - in 2010 but the pair took to Instagram to reveal that they secretly filed for divorce last year.
In a joint statement, they said: “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 prioritised our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change.”
The couple - who shared their message onto a photo of them wearing tennis outfits - concluded their message by noting that they will always have a “devotion” towards their children and asked for “privacy” at this time.
They added: “We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy.”
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher attend a screening of the Oscars on April 26, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Now, The Sun has reported that Wilson’s sexual harassment allegationsagainst Baron Cohen in her memoir Rebel Rising prompted Fisher to publicly announce the split.
It is understood that the Wedding Crashers actress spoke to her lawyers about a separation last year.
An insider told The Sun: “Rebel’s book was a catalyst in Isla deciding to announce this to the world”.
“She’s got her own career and reputation to worry about.
“Those close to her said it was starting to get embarrassing with all of the allegations that were spilling out of Rebel’s book.
“So she felt as though it was the right thing to do to inform everyone of their decision,” the source said.
Aussie actor Isla Fisher and husband Sacha Baron Cohen have announced they are splitting as turmoil from Rebel Wilson’s accusations continues. Photo / Getty Images
“Sacha, on the other hand, did not want that.
“He has been making as though it’s business as usual before they made this announcement.”
The couple are believed to still be living together in Los Angeles and London.
However, the pair allegedly told friends they had called it quits last year and have been living separate lives, according to Page Six.
Rebel Wilson in New York, March 29, 2024. The actress, known for roles in the Pitch Perfect movies, gets vulnerable about her weight loss, sexuality and money in her new memoir, Rebel Rising. Photo / The New York Times
Wilson accuses Sacha Baron Cohen of inappropriate behaviour
“It felt like every time I’d speak to SBC [Baron Cohen], he’d mention that he wanted me to go naked in a future scene. I was like, ‘Ha, I don’t do nudity, Sacha’,” she wrote in her memoir Rebel Rising.
The Australian-born actor then wrote about how the situation allegedly escalated while they were shooting scenes for Grimsby at a football stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.
“SBC summons me via a production assistant saying that I’m needed to film an additional scene. ‘Okay, well, we’re gonna film this extra scene’, SBC says. Then he pulls his pants down ... SBC says very matter-of-factly: ‘Okay, now I want you to stick your finger up my a**’. And I’m like, ‘What??... No’!!
“I was now scared. I wanted to get out of there, so I finally compromised: I slapped him on the a** and improvised a few lines as the character,” Wilson said.
“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,” Cohen’s representatives said in their statement.