Tensions between Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher have escalated after the actress’ recent claims about their divorce, sources have claimed.
The former couple’s divorce announcement last year appeared to show that they were ending on amicable terms with no drama.
However, sources recently claimed that Cohen was left “furious” over Fisher’s comments during the promotion of her latest movie, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Sacha Baron Cohen was left “furious” over Isla Fisher’s recent claims about their divorce, a source claimed
Cohen felt Fisher’s comments alluded to his scandal involving Rebel Wilson, triggering massive controversy for him last year.
Fisher, who plays next-door neighbor Rebecca to Renée Zellweger’s iconic lead in the new film, addressed her ongoing $75 million divorce in a Sunday Times interview earlier this month.
It was “the most difficult thing I’ve been through,” she said about the end of her marriage.
“I’ve learned so much about myself in the process,” added the Confessions of a Shopaholic actress.
She said they are “committed and loving parents” to their three children and that she never imagined their family would be separated.
During the interview, Fisher credited the women in her life for helping her through the turbulent time.
The former couple officially announced their divorce last year after about a year of living separately
“The female relationships that I cultivated in our business, those women have been there for me,” Fisher said.
Days after the interview, a source close to Cohen told the Daily Mail that “this comment left Sacha furious” because it seemingly suggested Fisher was choosing sides in the controversy related to Rebel Wilson.
Wilson had played Cohen’s love interest in his 2016 movie The Brothers Grimsby. She later claimed that the actor pressured her to strip for their intimate scenes in the film and even asked her to “stick [her] finger up [his] butt” for one particular scene.
The allegations were included in the Pitch Perfect actress’ memoir which was released in April 2024.
Cohen denied the claims with a statement and said that they were “directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts.”
In Wilson’s memoir, the chapter on Cohen was redacted in the UK and banned from being printed in Australia.
Cohen and Fisher made their divorce announcement amid the escalating scandal with Rebel Wilson
Nevertheless, the timing of the Wilson-Cohen controversy raised widespread speculations about whether it had something to do with Fisher’s divorce announcement, which also came out in April of last year.
“After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down,” Cohen and Fisher said in a joint social media statement accompanied by a picture of them in tennis outfits.
“In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritized our privacy and have been quietly working through this change,” the announcement continued.
At the time of their divorce announcement, a source claimed to The Sun that Wilson’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,” the source told the outlet. “Those close to her said it was starting to get embarrassing with all of the allegations that were spilling out of Rebel’s book.”
Sources previously claimed Wilson’s book was a “catalyst” for Fisher making their divorce announcement in 2024
Image credits: Mark Sullivan/WireImage/Getty Images
However, another insider said the notoriously private couple had been living separately for a year before they were ready to make the announcement.
They “wanted to give this space and time for their children to be OK with this before the news came out and they got all this attention,” the source told Us Weekly last April.
Nearly a year after their divorce officially made headlines, Fisher’s latest comments in her interview this month reportedly left Cohen livid.
“Sacha was fuming when he read that; he felt utterly betrayed,” a source said about Fisher’s remarks
“It felt like a blatant statement that she was on side with Rebel, the whole women sticking together thing was obvious and that is what he drew from the situation and it has made him very cross and upset,” the source told the Daily Mail.
“Sacha was fuming when he read that, he felt utterly betrayed,” the source added.
Rebel Wilson reveals Sacha Baron Cohen has hired a crisis PR manager and lawyer to try and stop the release of her memoir:
“I wrote about an a–hole in my book. Now, said a–hole is trying to threaten me. But the book WILL come out, and you will all know the truth.” pic.twitter.com/V8SZdTAqRv
— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 25, 2024
The insider went on to suggest that Wilson’s allegations were a “major factor” in the issues they had, and Fisher now allegedly wants the industry to know how she felt.
“Isla speaking out was a massive shock to him, and a clear sign she isn’t going to be the doting wife anymore,” added the insider.
Another source close to Cohen told the British tabloid that both he and Fisher are prioritizing their children over everything else.
“The last thing that Sacha would want to do is make things any more difficult than they already are for them, so is miffed she has spoken out.”
The pair had also agreed not to make public comments about the divorce, especially if they rehashed the Wilson-Cohen controversy, according to WGTC.
The former couple have been together for about two decades and welcomed three children during their time together
Cohen and Fisher were together for about two decades.
They met at a party in 2001, and the English actor proposed to the Australian star in 2004. They became parents to three children, daughters Olive and Elula and son Montgomery, during their time together.
The former couple recently had a rare public interaction after Fisher shared a Valentine’s Day snap, saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Stunning photoshoot,” Cohen commented on the photo, to which the actress replied, “Thank you,” with a smiling face.
“I hope she takes plenty of his money,” a social media user said
