Ben Stiller Says His Daughter Criticized Him For His Absence During Her Early Years

Despite having a very successful career, Ben Stiller did not have it easy managing the family aspect of his life. The award-winning actor married Christine Taylor almost two decades ago, welcoming two kids, Ella in 2002 and Quinn in 2005.

Shifting our focus to the present day, Stiller is slowly approaching his 60th birthday, and his kids are now full-blown teenagers, who can steer their lives without much parental input. Ella has now come out to decry Stiller's absence for most of her growing years, and the outburst is not sitting well with the actor.

The "Night At The Museum" actor spoke to Esquire about raising his now-19-year-old daughter while pursuing his acting profession. Stiller stated that she chided him for not being as present as he should have been when she was younger.

"She's pretty articulate about it, and sometimes it's stuff that I don't want to hear. It's hard to hear," the "Severance" director said. "Because it's me not being there in the ways that I saw my parents not being there. And I had always thought, Well, I won't do that."

Stiller's reference to his parents shows that juggling a career and family life is not as easy as it might seem. The 56-year-old actor is the son of legendary comedy combo Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller. At the age of 92, Jerry passed away in May 2020, while Meara departed earlier in 2015 at 85.

During their prime, Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller linked up professionally as the comedy duo Stiller & Meara on comedy shows throughout the 1960s, most notably, "The Ed Sullivan Show." However, the couple later decided to pursue independent gigs as they did not want their respective careers to be determined by their union.

Stiller further highlighted the reason for his absence through the period. The "Zoolander" star said, "But then it's that thing that, like, I was trying to navigate my own desire to fulfill the hopes and dreams I had, too. And that doesn't feel great, but it's important to acknowledge."

He has had to learn a harsh lesson on how having a successful career does not automatically equate to being a great father in the long run.

"What I've learned is that your kids are not keeping score on your career," he told the news outlet. "It would be solipsistic to think that my kids actually care about that. They just want a parent who's emotionally present and supportive of them. That's probably what they want more than for me to be going off and pushing the bounds of my creativity."

Stiller has taken necessary steps to ensure he is closer to his kids and makes up for the past. The actor had earlier split from his wife Taylor in 2017 but rekindled their relationship at the start of the pandemic. The actor moved back in with the "Brady Bunch Movie" star and their kids, and they helped him overcome the loss of his father, who died during the lockdown period.

"We were separated and got back together, and we're happy about that," the actor said in the interview.

According to reports, Stiller acknowledged that he and Taylor still shared different views. However, they have decided to accept their similarities and differences.

"I think we have a respect for the ways that we're similar and the ways we're different. And I think accepting that, you can really appreciate someone more because you're not trying to get them to change for you."

After his reunion with his wife, Stiller has been cooking up a documentary on his parents to highlight their intelligence, comedy, generosity, and difficulties. Additionally, the actor is working behind the scenes as the director of "Severance," which debuted on Apple TV+ on February 18.

Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette feature in the program.

The drama occurs at the clandestine Lumen Industries, where employees on a given level can choose to undergo a 'severance' process that makes the 'work/life balance a reality by separating the two categories.

"[The show] was something that I would want to watch as an audience member," Scott, 48, told The Post in an interview. "It's this mix of dark humor and satire and thriller and suspense, all with this sinister undercurrent that's really fun."