WTF Happened to Ben Stiller?

For a time in the 2000s, Ben Stiller dominated big-screen comedy. As a charter member of the “Frat Pack,” along with people such as Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell, Stiller had an incredible string of blockbuster hits, including Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Meet the Parents, and the Night at the Museum franchise. Indeed, for awhile you would have been hard-pressed to find a bigger movie star, with all of his films earning blockbuster grosses in theaters, and perhaps even more importantly, selling millions of copies on full stacked DVDs. Even a movie like Zoolander, which flopped theatrically, became a monster hit once it hit DVD. Yet, as that business began to cool, Stiller’s career, perhaps not coincidently, started to wane somewhat, with movies like The Watch flopping, while his long-in-the-tooth franchises like A Night ant the Museum and the Fockers films began to suffer at the box office. Stiller made a huge swing for the fences with the underrated The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but despite some critical kudos it was not a box office hit.

In recent years, Stiller’s stepped away from comedy, moving behind the camera to helm acclaimed limited series such as Escape at Dannemora & Severance. But what about his career in front of the camera? In this episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity, we take a look at his career, from his early days on The Ben Stiller Show, through his breakout in There’s Something About Mary and beyond.

This episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity is written (with Brad Hamerly), edited and narrated by Taylor James Johnson, who also produces with Chris Bumbray. Berge Garabedian is the executive producer. Watch previous episodes below and let us know what your favourite Ben Stiller movies are in the comments!