When Amy Poehler appeared on the “Smartless” podcast, cohost Jason Bateman took the opportunity to jokingly ask her and ex-husband Will Arnett to explain the details of their split.
“So, Amy and Will, how did you guys first meet?” Bateman, 56, quipped on the Monday, April 21, episode, earning laughs from the exes and cohost Sean Hayes. “We’re going to get into it. When did it first start to fracture?”
Poehler’s appearance on the podcast came as a surprise to Arnett, 54, and Bateman, who are not briefed on Hayes’ weekly guests. (Each episode, the trio takes turns inviting a guest on the podcast while leaving the other two cohosts in the dark. Poehler, 53, was asked to join by Hayes, 54.)
Before interviewing Poehler, Hayes briefly explained the history behind Poehler and Arnett’s relationship to the audience — and his sister, Tracey. (As fans of “Smartless” know, Hayes will add context to industry stories and information to keep his sister up-to-date.)
Related: Will Arnett Reunites With Ex-Wife Amy Poehler on ‘Smartless’: Recap
“You guys were married and now you’re not and it’s been years and years and everything is going swimmingly,” Hayes explained, as the others laughed.
While Arnett claimed he asked Poehler to appear on the podcast before her debut, Bateman inquired whether Hayes had tried to “float” the idea of having the Parks and Recreation alum on “Smartless” by her ex-husband.
“What are you guys talking about? Why do you have to float anything past anybody? Guys, nice, by the way, great welcome. Nice to see you all,” Poehler quipped. “I mean Jesus, you’re all talking about how weird it is that I’m here. Hi, I’m your guest. Nice to see you. Happy to be here.”
Arnett and Poehler — who are parents to sons Archie, 16, and Abel, 14 — split in 2012 after nine years of marriage. Two years later, Arnett filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2016. (Four years later, Arnett welcomed son Alexander with girlfriend Alessandra Brawn.)
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Related: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett: The Way They Were
Arnett, for his part, gushed that he’s “really proud” of his coparenting relationship with Poehler.
“Of course, things take a minute because everybody is sort of adjusting to what it is. I’m also very proud of, certainly as parents, what we’ve been able to do. That has been really important to both of us. I’m really, really lucky to have her as a partner in this way,” Arnett gushed on the podcast. “There aren’t many people I speak to more than I speak to her, which is weird, you know what I mean. But it’s great. I feel really lucky.”
He continued, “She is somebody that I still run a lot of stuff by. … She’s the person that I go like, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about doing this.’ Whether it’s life or work and I really seek her counsel because it’s important to me because I trust her. She’s awesome.”
