In September 2012, Poehler and Arnett announced their separation after nine years of marriage. The announcement surprised fans who viewed the couple as an unshakeable comedy institution. The formal divorce followed in April 2014, concluding quietly in July 2016. In her 2014 memoir Yes Please, Poehler described divorce as an intensely painful process that few people escape unscarred. Yet she deliberately declined to air grievances, writing that she was proud of how she and Arnett managed the transition for the sake of their sons.
Instead of dividing their family across distant zip codes, the ex-spouses maintained residences within minutes of each other in Los Angeles. School pickups, sporting events, and weekend routines were coordinated directly rather than mediated through third parties. Both actors made a conscious pact to keep Archie and Abel's day-to-day lives consistent, avoiding public custody disputes or contentious financial negotiations. That geographic proximity laid the foundation for an enduring domestic friendship.
