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Courteney CoxandDavid Arquettewound up becoming more than friendsafter starring inScreamtogether in the ’90s.
In 2010, however, the couple announced that they were separating after 11 years of marriage. While Arquette wanted theirmarriage to “work out,“both he and Coxfiled for divorcein 2012.
Despite going their separate ways, the exes have remained friends. “He’s my favorite person in the world,” Cox told PEOPLE of her ex-husband. “He’s my best friend. No matter what happens in our future, he’s my very best friend.”
Here is a look back at Courteney Cox and David Arquette’s relationship.
1990s: Courteney Cox and David Arquette meet
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Cox and Arquette met at a pre-party prior to filming the firstScreamfilm. “I was being a little cocky and Courteney was like, ‘Ah, I’ve heard of you,’ and we just kept flirting for a while. She’s just so gorgeous and she jokes around so much,” Arquetterecalledin 2009.
According to the actor, it was love at first sight for him, but not for Cox. He quipped, “I had to trick her.”
December 1996: Courteney Cox and David Arquette star inScream
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The costars were both on hand for the premiere of the originalScream. Cox toldGood Morning America’sRobin Robertsin 2011 that she and Arquette “fell in love on the first” movie.
The pair play Gale Weathers and David Dewey, respectively, in the horror film.
1997: David Arquette says he’s “a little too wild” for Courteney Cox
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While itwas rumored that Arquette had caught the eye of hisScreamcostar Cox, the actor said they were just friends at the time. “I’m a little too wild for her,” hetold PEOPLEin 1997. “She deserves someone who is more together than I am.”
September 1998: Courteney Cox and David Arquette get engaged
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DirectorWes Cravenrevealed toPEOPLEthat the costars got engaged while vacationing on an East Coast beach with members of the actress' family. As fireworks lit up the sky, theSee Spot Runstargot down on one knee and asked, "Courteney Cox Arquette, will you marry me?”
“That was classic Courteney and David, where he did something so unabashed and so heartfelt, and she just went with it,” Craven said.
In 2022, Arquette toldPEOPLEthat it was Craven who encouraged him to date Cox initially. “Wes had a real impact. [He was] like, ‘David, you know she likes you and you should really get your stuff together,’ " the actor recalled. “He gave me a real man-to-man talk and that had an impact on the course of my life.”
June 12, 1999: Courteney Cox and David Arquette get married
Cox and Arquetteexchanged vowsat Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The bride’sFriendscostars,Matthew Perry,Lisa Kudrow,David Schwimmer,Matt LeBlancandJennifer Aniston, as well as Aniston’s then-beauBrad Pitt, were among the guests at the wedding.
October 2003: Courteney Cox and David Arquette open up about trying to get pregnant
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Arquette recalled that their first round ofin vitro fertilizationwas “nerve-racking.” He said, “I feel terrible that she has to go through so much.”
Although she’d miscarried “quite a few times,” Cox added that she and David “bounce back pretty quickly. I don’t say it’s a walk in the park. But what are you going to do? We just try again.”
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In January 2004,a rep for Cox toldPEOPLEthat “it’s true,” the actress and her husband were expecting.
June 13, 2004: Courteney Cox and David Arquette welcome their first child
“It’s the best present they could have hoped for,“a source close to Arquette told PEOPLE. “It’s been a long haul.”
June 2010: David Arquette says “relationships take a lot of work”
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Arquettetold PEOPLEthere was “nothing” wrong with his and Cox’s relationship. “You know, it’s weird, because it turns up in the tabloids, and your friends start calling you like there’s a problem,” he said. “Like, they say, ‘If you need to talk,’ you know. Hey, we don’t need to talk. There’s nothing [wrong]. We have a really great, beautiful relationship.”
The actor noted that “whenever things come up, we deal with them. We communicate.”
“I would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship, you know what I mean. I’m committed, and we’re honest with each other,” he continued. “Relationships take a lot of work.”
The actor also felt blessed to have Cox as his wife. “We respect each other, care for each other and love each other,” he said. “And I feel blessed that she’s my wife and that we have an amazing family.”
July 2010: Courteney Cox says she and David Arquette have gone to couples therapy
In an interview with InStyle, which Cox reportedly arrived to sans her wedding ring, the actress shared that she and Arquette have “done couples therapy in the past.” She said, “We’re not lazy about our marriage. We have the same arguments we’ve had for years.”
TheAce Ventura: Pet Detectiveactress also pointed out that “some things just never change, and you should realize that the intriguing things you fall in love with will probably become the things that you don’t like,” adding, “and the very things that you’ll be talking about for the rest of your relationship.”
October 11, 2010: Courteney Cox and David Arquette separate
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After 11 years of marriage, the pair announced that they had agreed to a “trial separation.” “The reason for this separation is to better understand ourselves and the qualities we need in a partner and for our marriage,” they said in a statement. “We remain best friends and responsible parents to our daughter and we still love each other deeply. As we go through this process we are determined to use kindness and understanding to get through this together.”
Cox and Arquette added, “We are comfortable with the boundaries that we have established for each other during this separation and we hope that our friends, family, fans and the media also show us respect, dignity, understanding and love at this time as well.”
A source close to the pair later toldPEOPLEthat the trial separation was “not an overnight thing.” The source said, “They needed to figure things out and try to find a happy place again.”
October 12, 2010: David Arquette reveals that he and Courteney Cox are “not having sex”
The day after announcing their separation, Arquette called intoHoward Stern’s radio show and spoke about his and Cox’s sex life. “We’re not having sex, and I completely understand,” he revealed. “She’s in a place of wanting to be real and emotional. She’s an emotional being. She’s an amazing woman. If it doesn’t feel right, she doesn’t feel like bonding in that way.”
The actor also shared on the program that he was trying to grow up. “She says that to me: ‘I don’t wanna be your mother anymore,’ " he recalled. “I appreciated that. I respected that. I’ve been going to therapy. I’m trying to grow up.”
Arquette also added that Cox is “the greatest woman” he’s ever met, but “she’s got her issues.” “She tries to take on everybody’s problem,” he said. “That’s why she doesn’t want to be the mother to me anymore.”
November 2010: Courteney Cox says her and David Arquette’s separation is not like they are getting divorced
January 2011: David Arquette goes to rehab
In early 2011, Arquette’s rep confirmed to PEOPLE that the actor had entered a rehab program. A source revealed that the actor was “in there for drinking and depression, not hard drugs. Rehab was inevitable.” The source continued, “He is dealing with a broken heart. He can’t handle all the changes in his life. All his inner demons came out.”
Cox later told PEOPLE that she supported Arquette after he entered rehab. “I really admire David and his choice to take charge and better his life,” she said. “I love and support him.”
On Jan. 30, Arquette checked out of rehab, with his rep telling PEOPLE, “He has completed his treatment and has left.” Another source said Arquette was “in great spirits. He’s feeling good and he’s ready to move forward.”
February 2011: David Arquette would love for his and Courteney Cox’s marriage to “work out”
“I want her to be happy,” he said onThe Oprah Winfrey Show. “If me being the best person I can be doesn’t make her happy in a partner, in who she needs, whatever she’s looking for, that’s still to be answered.”
He also added that he’d “love” for his marriage to “work out.”
April 11, 2011: Courteney Cox and David Arquette pose for photos at theScream 4premiere
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The estranged couple posed together for photos at the Hollywood premiere of Scream 4.
During a press conference the previous month, the actors were asked what was special about filming the movie. “There’s a real family feeling,” Arquette said. “Especially with Courteney being married and having a kid [their 6-year-old daughter Coco], it just brings an honesty, and that is really my favorite part of acting.”
For Cox, it “felt very natural.” She said, “We have had 10 more years of experience of acting, so I was that much more confident. I am now a mom, and I am just [a] different person, but it’s coming back with your family. You know each other, and you kind of just get right back into it and [are] better than you were last time.”
There was nothing scandalous about Cox’s vacation in St. Barts with friends and herCougar TowncostarJosh Hopkins. OnRyan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM radio show, Arquette said, “We’re not together. We’re still separated.”
TheNever Been Kissedactor also revealed that he was aware of everything. “And you know, there [are] horrible articles right now,” he said. “She went away to St. Bart’s with Coco and her best friend and Josh from the show, and I know about all of this. But these tabloids make it like there’s some kind of scandal going on. But there’s no scandal.”
September 2011: Courteney Cox supports David Arquette atDancing with the Stars
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Arquette received support from Cox and their daughter Coco as he made his debut onDancing with the Stars.The actress and her daughter watched as Arquette hit the ballroom floor with his dancing partnerKym Johnson.
January 2012: Courteney Cox calls David Arquette her best friend
TheFriendsactress had nothing but kind words for her estranged husband at the Cougar Town TCA party in 2012. “He’s my favorite person in the world,” she told PEOPLE of Arquette. “He’s my best friend. No matter what happens in our future, he’s my very best friend.”
June 8, 2012: Courteney Cox and David Arquette file for divorce
Cox and Arquettefiled for divorceon the same day. The duoboth citedirreconcilable differences and requested joint legal and physical custody of their daughter.
January 2013: Courteney Cox says she loves her ex David Arquette
Despite deciding to end their marriage,Cox still had love for her ex-husband. “He’s my best friend in the world,” she said during an appearance onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I love him.”
The actress confessed that she appreciates Arquette “more now than I ever did. I mean … it’s hard. I don’t recommend divorce in general, but, you know, he is my best friend and we’ve both grown and changed.”
January 2013: David Arquette says he loves Courteney Cox, too
The actor also explained that they have a “great relationship” because they “treat each other with respect.” He said, “We’re honest with each other. We’re respectful, and that’s what it comes down to.”
May 28, 2013: Courteney Cox and David Arquette finalize their divorce
January 2014: Courteney Cox wants David Arquette to be happy
The actress noted that she and Arquette both tried in their marriage. “You can love somebody so much, but it’s not the life you should be living together. I think David and I are supposed to be the way we are now,” she said. “In divorce you always have regrets. We were married for a long time, so it’s not like we [didn’t] try.”
September 5, 2018: David Arquette shares a photo featuring Courteney Cox on Instagram
The actormarked Coco starting high school with a snapshot of himself and Coxwith their daughter. “I’m so proud of my daughter Coco! Have fun and be safe in Highschool!” Arquette wrote alongside the post on Instagram. “AND don’t grow up too fast! I love love love you!!!”
August 2020: David Arquette shares an update onScream 5after Courteney Cox signs on
Arquette hadno qualms about reuniting with his ex-wifefor thefifth installmentof theScreamfranchise. “We co-parent,” he toldEntertainment Tonight. “So, we’re in touch quite a bit. It’s great. But we always love working together. She’s an incredible actress, so it’ll be fun to bring these characters back to life and see where they’re at. … costarring’s the easy part.”
January 2022: David Arquette says it was a “cathartic experience” to act with ex Courteney Cox again
Ahead of the release ofScream 5,Arquette reflected on working with his former wife in an interview with TheNew York Times. He confessed, “It’s a cathartic experience to just be able to act opposite Courteney.”
He added, “It’s been 25 years of our lives. We’ve grown up together. We have a child together.”
April 27, 2023: David Arquette says it was “difficult” dealing with Courteney Cox’sFriendsfame
During an interview withAndy Cohen, Arquette addressed the idea of feeling “inferior to” or “less than” Cox at the height of herFriendsfame.
“Yeah, absolutely. It’s difficult. … I have some of the traditional male things where I want to like, you know, provide and pick up the check and, you know, be the breadwinner,” he said. “In the acting world, in general, you’re always going on this roller coaster of popularity. And then, you’recomparing yourself to someone who’s at the topof the television world.”
source: people.com
