Inside Courteney Cox And David Arquette's Co-Parenting Relationship

Any "Friends" superfan remembers the episode in Season 6 where all the last names of the cast were hyphenated with "Arquette," a nod to Monica actor Courteney Cox's new husband, David Arquette. That was to celebrate Cox and Arquette's 1999 nuptials. The show even had to hide Cox's pregnancy with her only child, Coco Arquette, whom she had with the "Never Been Kissed" actor. These days, even now that the couple has split, they know a thing or two about co-parenting their now-adult daughter.

After starring in the '90s cult classic "Scream" together, Arquette and Cox started a romantic relationship. They credit the franchise's sequels as great timeline markers of their relationship. "We met on 'Scream 1,' and on 'Scream 2' we were kind of on-and-off dating. And by 'Scream 3' we were married," Arquette told People magazine in 2010. "And now on 'Scream 4' we have a child. It's sort of an amazing marker throughout our lives." 

Unfortunately, later that same year — the year before "Scream 4" came out — the couple had announced their split. While their relationship didn't last, they say their bond is strong, specifically when it comes to jointly raising their daughter.

According to the exes, parenting their daughter Coco Arquette has kept their relationship on good terms. "We're friends, and we've communicated a lot because of Coco," Courteney Cox told Yahoo! Entertainment in 2020. Cox noted that their parenting style is rooted in respect, explaining that she and Arquette have always been a united front when they've had turbulent times in raising Coco. According to the "Cougar Town" star, they don't even split holidays, letting their daughter choose with whom she'd like to spend time for each one (via People). Arquette shared similar sentiments with Us Weekly, saying that he and Cox have always prioritized their daughter. "We have respect and love for each other and just [are] on the same page. And [with] Coco, we're just super lucky," Arquette said, adding that Coco's teenage years were difficult.

Their collaboration doesn't stop at parenting. After their divorce, the two actors worked together on the fifth installment of the "Scream" franchise, reprising their iconic roles as journalist Gale Weathers and police officer Dewey Riley. Their characters' storyline mirrored the own couple's end of their relationship when Gale and Dewey revealed their divorce in the 2022 movie. 

"It's a cathartic experience to just be able to act opposite Courteney," Arquette told The New York Times, adding that he got emotional during their first scene back. As for their real lives, Cox and Arquette have gracefully moved on from their relationship, and Arquette is now married to Christina McLarty, with whom he shares two other children.