Dear Zooey and Ben,
This isn’t the easiest letter to write. Needless to say, I’m disappointed. I thought you two were in it for the long haul! You’re both adorably down-to-earth, extremely creative, and you just seem different from all the other Hollywood power couples. I’m already mourning the fact that I won’t see you two Tweeting at each other anymore. You won’t be charmingly in love at the Grammy’s again this year. I think what gets me the most upset that the Zooey-Ben compilation album will now never be (which in my mind was always called something like Death Cab for Zooey or She & Ben).
Perhaps you two will really be true to the “amicable” divorce – although in Hollywood, it’s a truly rare entity. But I believe that if anyone can make it work, you two can! Although you both haven’t released the reasons for your divorce, I feel like I know what you guys are experiencing. And I think I can relate.
You both work extremely hard. Zooey, your sitcom New Girl on Fox is hilarious. Your She & Him Christmas album is to die for, and I am loving Hello Giggles as well! Ben, you keep releasing excellent music for Death Cab for Cutie, and I’m sure writing the most beautiful lyrics ever known to man (reference: “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark”) takes up some time. Being a full-time musician is a full-time job. I get it. A marriage – or even a relationship – takes work. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day. And as painful as it is to admit, sometimes your life takes precedent over your love. No one can blame either of you for your success. Although we’d have loved to see you two stick it out, there’s no point staying in a relationship that you can’t put the proper effort into.
You guys have been called “indie royalty.” It’s true – your marriage seemed like the perfect blend of cute and cool. Music-lovers and moviegoers alike celebrated your union. We could all only dream about the incredible music you guys probably made together with Ben’s talent and Zooey’s voice. Putting it simply, your public loved you. Even though you guys were totally a beloved couple, it can’t have been easy having all that attention on your relationship. Although it can be nice to have all those people cheering you on, it’s also a toxic pressure. I’m glad you guys had the guts to admit when things stopped working out. No one should remain in a relationship for the sake of other people. You guys saw that your relationship needed evaluation and you made the best decision for yourself.
Finally, thanks for keeping it classy. Even as public figures, your business is your business. It’s totally refreshing not to see your split splashed across the covers of tabloids. I really am glad you’re being discreet about your divorce. Breaking up is hard enough without having everyone know the dirty details. Keep your stuff to yourself- eventually we’ll all get over not knowing exactly what happened.
Zooey and Ben: best of luck to the both of you in all of your future endeavors. It was a good two years.
Love,
Claire
PS. Nice move, releasing this news on the same week as Kim Kardashian….that was on purpose, right?