Isla Fisher is entering a very different chapter of her life. More than a year after her divorce from Sacha Baron Cohen became public, the 50-year-old actress is opening up about the people who helped her rebuild her sense of strength — and, surprisingly, she says she now has plenty of time for friendships.
While promoting her new comedy Spa Weekend, Fisher joked about her changed social life during a PEOPLE conversation with co-stars Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris. Her candid comment quickly revealed just how different life looks for her now.
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Isla Fisher Says Divorce Put Her “in a Different Place” With Friendships
The conversation turned to the difficulty of maintaining female friendships later in life, particularly while managing children, careers, relationships and everyday responsibilities.
Anna Faris, 49, explained that there often seems to be no time to actively nurture friendships, despite how important longstanding relationships can be. She described filming Spa Weekend in Australia as “magical” and spoke about friends who remain dependable even when life makes meeting them difficult.
“We’re at a time in our lives where there isn’t room for nurturing female friendships. There’s no time.”
Faris even joked about asking trusted friends to wait until her child graduates before they can properly spend time together.
Fisher, however, had a very different perspective.
“I mean, speak for yourself. I’m divorced, so all I do is see friends!”
The actress then explained that her three children are also an important part of her social world.
“They are my friends in my life. So I’m in a different place.”
Fisher also pointed out that Hollywood careers can make friendships unpredictable because people can disappear for long stretches.
“You can disappear for three months.”
Her comments were playful, but they also hinted at a much bigger shift in her personal life.
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How Female Friendships Helped Isla Fisher Rediscover Her Strength After Divorce
Fisher has previously been much more direct about the emotional impact of the end of her marriage.
At the Spa Weekend premiere in Las Vegas on August 7, she spoke about the strength she discovered through her relationships with other women.
“I’m much stronger than I thought I was, and I would say that my friendships, my female friendships, have really been instrumental to me discovering or recovering that strength. I’m incredibly grateful.”
Fisher has described her divorce as “the most difficult thing that I’ve been through.” Yet her public comments have also suggested that the experience gave her an opportunity to reconsider her life, reconnect with important people and explore interests and priorities beyond a long-term partnership.
Her friendships with women including Courteney Cox and Kate Ritchie have also been cited as meaningful sources of support during this transition.
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Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen Divorce Timeline: From Marriage to 2025 Split
Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen first met at a party in Australia around 2001–2002. They eventually married in Paris in 2010, beginning a marriage that lasted more than 13 years and followed a relationship spanning more than two decades from their first meeting.
The couple announced their separation in April 2024 and revealed that they had filed for divorce the previous year. They share three children — two daughters and a son — and have continued to emphasise their commitment to co-parenting.
Their divorce was officially finalised in June 2025.
Since the split became public, Fisher has generally kept details of her family life private while occasionally discussing how the experience affected her personally.
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Why Turning 50 Became a Liberating Moment for Isla Fisher
Fisher has also spoken about the freedom she associates with entering this new stage of life.
During the TIME Women of the Year Gala in March 2026, she discussed approaching her 50th birthday. She admitted that she had initially been nervous about the milestone, but ultimately embraced it.
“I feel so liberated. There’s [also] something about being divorced where you just feel like you could just do anything.”
She jokingly added:
“You could just do anything, and someone would be like, ‘Oh, don’t worry. She’s divorced.’”
That sense of freedom now appears alongside a renewed appreciation for friendship and personal independence.
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Spa Weekend Puts Female Friendship at the Centre of Fisher’s New Chapter
The timing of Fisher’s comments is especially fitting because Spa Weekend revolves around four lifelong female friends trying to reconnect after careers, relationships, families and everyday responsibilities have pulled them apart.
Directed and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the comedy stars Fisher, Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris. Its official synopsis centres on the women realising that somewhere between careers, relationships, families and everyday responsibilities, they have forgotten how to take care of themselves and each other.
The film held a special screening in Las Vegas on August 7, hosted by Southwest Airlines. At the event, Fisher described her current work-life balance as “great.”
“I feel really grateful to be working. I feel really grateful to be a woman of my age in the business. And I’m really happy to be in a movie like this.”
Spa Weekend officially opened in theatres on Friday, August 21, 2026.
For Fisher, the movie’s message about female friendship seems to mirror real life. Her divorce changed her circumstances, but her own account suggests that the relationships around her have helped turn a painful ending into something more complicated: a period of resilience, freedom, connection and reinvention.
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Isla Fisher’s Divorce and Spa Weekend: Key Details
| Date | Event | Official detail |
| Around 2001–2002 | Fisher meets Sacha Baron Cohen | They meet at a party in Australia |
| 2010 | Marriage | The couple marry in Paris |
| 2023 | Divorce filing | They file for divorce |
| April 2024 | Separation announced | The couple publicly announces the split |
| June 2025 | Divorce finalised | Their divorce is completed |
| March 2026 | TIME Women of the Year Gala | Fisher discusses turning 50 and feeling liberated |
| August 7, 2026 | Spa Weekend Las Vegas screening | Screening hosted by Southwest Airlines |
| August 21, 2026 | Spa Weekend theatrical release | Film opens in theatres |
Disclaimer and Sources
This article is based on publicly reported interviews, statements and contemporaneous coverage from established media outlets. Details concerning Isla Fisher’s divorce, family and emotional experiences are included only as publicly reported by Fisher, Sacha Baron Cohen and established media sources. Fisher’s comments about her personal life reflect her own publicly expressed perspective and should not be interpreted as independent conclusions about her private life.
Properly Hyperlinked Sources
- PEOPLE — Isla Fisher Says She’s ‘in a Different Place’ with Her Social Life: ‘I’m Divorced, So All I Do Is See Friends!’
- E! News — Isla Fisher Shares How She Found Strength After Sacha Baron Cohen Divorce
- CBS Mornings — Isla Fisher on Spa Weekend and the Importance of Female Friendships
- FemaleFirst — Isla Fisher ‘Much Stronger’ After Sacha Baron Cohen Split
- PEOPLE — Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher Reveal They Filed for Divorce
- PEOPLE — Isla Fisher Says Life After Divorce Feels ‘Freeing’
Image Credit:
- Featured Image: Instagram @islafisher
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