Will Arnett Shuts Down Bathroom Questions About Amy Poehler Marriage

Some topics are just off-limits, and Will Arnett made that crystal clear during a recent episode of the SmartLess podcast. When cohost Jason Bateman pressed him with increasingly personal questions about his marriage to Amy Poehler, Arnett, 56, wasn’t having it—drawing a firm line around what he’s willing to discuss publicly about their relationship.

The whole thing started as casual banter on the Monday, June 22 episode when Arnett mentioned he doesn’t engage in“potty stuff”conversation. That was apparently an invitation for Bateman to dig deeper. Bateman, 57, kept pushing, asking whether Arnett and Poehler ever used the bathroom in front of each other during their 13-year marriage. It’s the kind of question designed to get a laugh—and it did—but Arnett wasn’t amused enough to answer. After Bateman persisted, asking specifically about bathroom habits while they were married with two kids, Arnett set a boundary:“The question is, did I poo in front of Amy? It’s not a good question. I refuse to answer it. It’s none of your f***ing business.”

What makes this exchange worth noting isn’t really the bathroom humor. It’s a window into how thoughtfully Arnett approaches his past relationship. He and Poehler, 54, were married from 2003 to 2016 and share sons Archie, 17, and Abel, 15. Despite decades in the spotlight and years of friendship with Bateman, Arnett maintains clear boundaries about what stays private—and that’s a stance worth respecting. He’s not cagey about Poehler herself; he’ll praise his ex-wife’s character and their co-parenting dynamic. But the intimate details of their marriage? That’s off the record.

The conversation eventually shifted to Bateman’s own marriage to Amanda Anka, 57, whom he’s been married to since 2001. Bateman joked that Anka“doesn’t poo,”drawing laughs from the room. What emerged over the course of the discussion was that all three cohosts—Arnett, Bateman, and Sean Hayes, 55—share a genuine fondness for one another’s lives and families. Arnett even gushed about Anka, calling her“the f***ing greatest”and praising her thoughtfulness and kindness.

In a celebrity landscape where oversharing is often the default, Arnett’s refusal to weaponize his past relationship for entertainment feels almost refreshing. He’s not being evasive about Poehler—he’s simply saying some things don’t need an audience. And in a friendship between guys who see each other regularly and clearly enjoy pushing each other’s buttons, that’s a boundary that landed, joke or not.