The Strange Reason Natasha Lyonne Thinks Her Romance With Fred Armisen Ended

Comedy titans Natasha Lyonne and Fred Armisen were once an iconic romantic pairing. The couple dated for many years — Lyonne joking on "Saturday Night Live" that it's the only sex tape in the industry that couldn't sell — until they ultimately split in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Lyonne, their decision to end things was as odd and hilarious as the comics themselves.

"I honestly think we broke up because I wanted a swimming pool," Lyonne told The Hollywood Reporter. Per the "Russian Doll" star, she and Armisen disagreed over pools because he isn't fond of them. "It might seem like a mundane reason for a breakup," she said, then comparing herself to Burt Lancaster in "The Swimmer" to describe the importance of her water laps. And laps she achieved, as Lyonne bought her own house — with a pool — after her break-up with Armisen. She noted, however, that she talks to her ex all the time, so it sounds like they're still friends. 

Lyonne doesn't sound too heartbroken about her ceasing romance. The "Orange is the New Black" actor told Entertainment Weekly that she's in her "divorced-dad era," the self-proclaimed workaholic adding "I live a pretty no-dependence lifestyle, and I like it that way."

It was fellow comedian and mutual friend Maya Rudolph who introduced Fred Armisen and Natasha Lyonne to each other (via Glamour). In a cheeky August 2014 Instagram post of Lyonne on the set of "Portlandia" — that potentially could have been the beginning of their romance — Armisen wrote: "The beautiful and brilliant Natasha Lyonne." Us Weekly confirmed the pair's relationship in 2014 when they attended that year's Emmy Awards arm-in-arm. They dated for seven years, keeping their relationship under wraps, for the most part. They were seen mostly on red carpets together, and occasionally Lyonne described Armisen as her boyfriend in interviews.

After their break-up, Armisen admitted on a July 2024 episode of the "Fail Better" podcast that, even though their relationship didn't last, he classifies his time with Lyonne as a success. "We're still friends," the "Saturday Night Live" alum told host David Duchovny. "I can look back at that relationship with a sort of peaceful happiness, and that's how it was." Armisen didn't have that same confidence on "The Howard Stern Show" when talking about his failed months-long marriage with fellow actor Elisabeth Moss. "I was a terrible husband," he told Howard Stern, adding that he doesn't feel like a good partner overall.