There is no bad blood between Zooey Deschanel and her ex-husband Jacob Pechenik.
“It’s awesome because my kids’ dad is a great dad,” Deschanel, 45, said during an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast on Wednesday, December 17. “I always want to support him as a parent.”
Deschanel was married to Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard from 2009 to 2011. She moved on with Pechenik, whom she wed in 2015. The former couple welcomed daughter Elise, 10, and son Charlie, 8, throughout their marriage, which ended in 2020.
Deschanel explained during Wednesday’s podcast episode that she and Pechenik made a choice to keep their divorce “under wraps” as much as possible as a way to protect their kids. The breakup led her to find love with Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott, who also gets along with her ex-husband.
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Deschanel disclosed that she and Scott, who got engaged in August 2023, have a “group chat” with Pechenik.
“My kids thrive when they know that we all care for each other,” the actress continued. “We socialize and we’ve been on vacations together. We’ve been through a lot.”
Keep scrolling to see everything Deschanel said about Pechenik during her “Call Her Daddy” episode:
What Her Son Asked
Deschanel told host Alex Cooper that her son is too young to remember when she and Pechenik were together.
“He goes, ‘How come you and daddy don’t live in the same house?’ I was like, ‘We get along better if we’re in different houses,’” she said. “We get along great as long as we’re in different houses.”
Advice for Getting Along With an Ex
Deschanel said people ask her “all the time” about what it’s like to get along with her ex.
“You have to let go of any anger you would feel. I know that sounds difficult, but it’s actually pretty easy,” the actress shared. “The most important thing is that the kids are happy and that they’re thriving.”
She said there has to be respect for an ex-partner to benefit the kids.
“I respect his opinions and his point of view [of] being a parent. It’s not always the same as mine, but he respects mine,” the New Girl alum explained of Pechenik, noting that they had to “set the tone” to include mutual respect.
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Pechenik as a Father
Deschanel praised her ex-husband, calling him a “fantastic dad.” She added, “I’m so lucky that he’s my kids’ dad.”
Moving on From Their Marriage
It was important for both Deschanel and Pechenik to meet each other’s new partners.
“That’s the one really big unknown when you get divorced,” she explained. “There’s a little bit of a boundary there. The kids, they get attached to whoever you’re with. If they’re meeting the kids and they’re around the kids, then they are going to get attached. You don’t want anyone to take that lightly.”
Deschanel added, “I wouldn’t want them to get attached to somebody unless I knew they were going to be in their lives. It kind of set up this protocol so that we took it seriously before we’d introduce a partner to the kids.”