Amy Poehler in November 2016. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for Glamour)
Amy Poehler is reportedly dating New York attorney Benjamin H. Graf. The Parks and Recreation star was previously married to Will Arnett for nine years and then dated comedian Nick Kroll for two years.
Poehler was married to Arnett from 2003 to 2012 and they had two children together, Archie, 8, and Abel, 6. A few months after her divorce, she started dating Kroll, but their schedules made it impossible for them to continue dating and they broke up in 2015.
Here’s a look at Graf’s career and Poehler’s thoughts on relationships.
1. Poehler & Graf Were Seen Together in Los Angeles Last Year
Amy Poehler in 2016. (Getty)
Graf’s relationship with Poehler was first reported by Us Weekly. The magazine reports that they have been dating for “some time,” since they were seen hiking together in Los Angeles in May 2016.
Poehler’s representatives did not comment to Us Weekly.
In May, the Daily Mail published photos from that hike, but did not have Graf’s identity. Poehler and Graf were seen hiking with her two children.
2. Graf Is an Associate at Merchant & Gould, Focusing on Intellectual Property Law
Amy Poehler solo at the 2016 Oscars. (Getty)
Graf is currently an associate at the <Merchant & Gould firm at their New York office. He focuses on general intellectual property law, and emphasizes on “patent prosecution and all forms of litigation, including patents, trademarks and trade dress, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition,” according to his company bio.
Part of Graf’s work includes talking with clients who have ideas and helping them understand potential litigation that could arise from their product or idea.
“When he is not trying to be an inventor himself, Ben enjoys Ultimate Frisbee, tennis, cooking, and exploring new cities and countries,” his company bio reads.
3. Graf Attended Boston University & Had an Article Published in the Cardozo School of Law Journal
Amy Poehler in 2015. (Getty)
According to Graf’s Merchant & Gould bio, he attended Boston University and graduated with a B.A. in Physics in 2005. He also earned his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2010.
In 2010, Graf had an article published in the Cardozo Public Law, Policy & ethics Journal. It is titled Prognosis Indeterminable: How Patent Non-Obviousness Outcomes Depend Too Much on Decision-Makers.
4. Poehler Dated Comedian Nick Kroll Before Dating Graf
Amy Poehler and Nick Kroll split in 2015. (Getty)
Before she started dating Graf, Poehler was in a relationship with The League and Kroll Show star Nick Kroll. Kroll also had a recurring part on Parks & Recreation as the annoying Pawnee radio host known as “The Douche.”
The couple split in September 2015 after two years of dating, People Magazine reported. Later, a source told Us Weekly that their schedules made it tough for them to be together.
“Unfortunately, they just couldn’t make the relationship work with their schedules,” the source told Us Weekly. “They really tried, but it just wasn’t realistic anymore. They were spending more time apart than together.”
5. Poehler Wrote in ‘Yes Please’ That Getting a Divorce ‘Really Sucks’
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett split in 2012. Their divorce was finalized in 2016. (Getty)
After her divorce from Arnett, Poehler didn’t talk about it until she published her book Yes Please in 2014. Arnett and Poehler both appeared on Arrested Development and married in 2003. The two announced in September 2012 that they were splitting up and the divorce was finalized in July 2016.
Poehler wrote in Yes Please that, “Getting a divorce really sucks.”
“Imagine spreading everything you care about on a blanket and then tossing the whole thing up in the air,” she wrote of getting a divorce. “The process of divorce is about loading up that blanket, throwing it up, watching it all spin, and worrying what stuff will break when it lands.”
However, she wrote that she is “grateful” that Arnett is the father of her two children and didn’t think her 10-year marriage was a failure.
“I have a boyfriend who knows how to settle me,” she wrote of Kroll in the book. “He puts his hand on my chest and tells me boring stories…On one of our first nights together I woke up apologizing for my snoring and he pulled out the two earplugs he had worn to bed so that he could hear what I was saying. It was one of the most romantic gestures I have ever seen.”
