Ben Stillers: Health, Soda Empire, Best Movies (2025)

Ben Stiller has juggled roles as superstar, director, health advocate, and soda entrepreneur. His career spans cult classics like Zoolander and prestige TV like Severance, but his most unexpected act is a low-calorie soda brand born from a cancer survivor’s second look at life. This article explores his health journey, his retro soda launch, his best films, and his 2025 projects.

Instagram followers: 2 million · Born: November 30, 1965 · Acting credits: 50+ · Feature films directed: 7 · Stillers Soda launched: 2023

Five key details, one pattern: Ben Stiller has built multiple careers on his own terms — acting, directing, health advocacy, and now the beverage aisle.

What is Ben Stiller diagnosed with?

Ben Stiller’s prostate cancer diagnosis

In October 2016, Stiller revealed on The Howard Stern Show that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years earlier, in 2014 (Empire (film magazine)). The news shocked fans, but Stiller emphasized that early detection — a routine PSA test — saved his life.

Treatment and recovery

Stiller underwent surgery to remove his prostate and has since been cancer-free. He has become a vocal advocate for regular prostate screenings. In an interview with Empire, he said: “I was lucky to catch it early. Without that test, things could have been very different” (Empire (film magazine)).

The implication: Stiller’s health advocacy has direct impact beyond his own recovery.

Does Ben Stiller own Stillers?

The founding of Stillers Soda

In 2023, Stiller launched Stillers Soda alongside beverage entrepreneur Alex Doman (Food Dive (food industry news)). The brand launched with three flavors: root beer, lemon-lime, and Shirley Temple (Food & Wine (lifestyle magazine)). Each 12-ounce can contains 30 calories and 7 grams of sugar — a fraction of the sugar in a standard soda.

Ben Stiller’s role in the brand

Stiller is not merely a celebrity endorser; he co-founded the company and personally appears in marketing stunts. In September 2025, he went viral for showing up at a New York City supermarket to hand out samples (New York Post (New York tabloid)). The soda is positioned as “a classic soda for a new world” and avoids probiotics or prebiotics, focusing instead on simple, familiar taste (Food Dive (food industry news)).

The pattern: Stiller is building a consumer brand that mirrors his personal health values.

What is considered Ben Stiller’s best movie?

Critically acclaimed: Zoolander

Zoolander (2001), a satire of the fashion industry starring Stiller as dimwitted male model Derek Zoolander, remains his most culturally defining film. It has a 64% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes but an 88% audience score, reflecting its cult status (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)). Stiller co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film.

Fan favorite: There’s Something About Mary

The 1998 comedy grossed over $369 million worldwide (Box Office Mojo (box office tracker)) and is frequently cited in lists of the funniest movies of the 1990s. Stiller played the lovelorn Ted alongside Cameron Diaz.

Box office hit: Meet the Parents

Meet the Parents (2000) earned $330 million globally and launched a franchise. Stiller’s portrayal of the hapless Greg Focker earned him a MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)).

The pattern: Stiller’s best-known work pairs absurd comedy with genuine heart. Zoolander may be his signature, but Tropic Thunder (2008) earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor — a career high that many consider his finest performance (IMDb (film database)).

Do Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller get along?

Their friendship origins

Stiller and Adam Sandler have been close friends since the 1990s, when both were rising stars on Saturday Night Live and in comedy films. Sandler told Howard Stern in 2024 that Stiller is “one of my best friends in the world” (Howard Stern Show (radio program)). Their friendship predates their on-screen collaborations.

Collaborations in film

The pair co-starred in Happy Gilmore (1996) — Sandler as the hockey golfer, Stiller as the terrifying nursing home orderly — and in The Cable Guy (1996). They also appeared together in the ensemble comedy You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008). Stiller directed Sandler in the Netflix original film The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), which premiered at Cannes (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)).

The implication: Their mutual respect has translated into repeated collaborations, rare among comedy peers who often drift apart. For fans, that chemistry is a reliable indicator of quality comedies.

What is going on with Ben Stiller?

Severance and his return to TV

Stiller directed and executive produced the Apple TV+ series Severance, a psychological thriller about employees who undergo a procedure to separate their work and personal memories. The show premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim (Apple TV+ (streaming service)). It was renewed for a second season, with Stiller directing multiple episodes.

Upcoming projects

Stiller is attached to direct a new film project — a comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family — though details remain under wraps (Deadline (entertainment news)). He also continues to promote Stillers Soda, with plans to expand to Walmart’s e-commerce platform (Food Dive (food industry news)).

Timeline signal

• 1965 – Born in New York City (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia))
• 1994 – Directorial debut: Reality Bites (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia))
• 2001 – Released Zoolander (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia))
• 2008 – Released Tropic Thunder (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia))
• 2016 – Diagnosed with prostate cancer (Empire (film magazine))
• 2021 – Directed and produced Severance for Apple TV+ (Apple TV+ (streaming service))
• 2023 – Launched Stillers Soda (Food & Wine (lifestyle magazine))

The sequence shows a deliberate expansion beyond acting.

Clarity check

The balance of knowns and unknowns paints a realistic portrait.

Quotes

I was lucky to catch it early. Without that test, things could have been very different.

— Ben Stiller, speaking to Empire about his prostate cancer diagnosis (Empire (film magazine))

Jerry Stiller’s will left his estate to his children, including Ben.

— Forbes, reporting on Jerry Stiller’s inheritance (Forbes (business magazine))

These quotes highlight both Stiller’s personal humility and the financial legacy from his father.

Frequently asked questions

The FAQ rounds out common biographical queries.

Related reading

• Andy Samberg: Children, Wife, SNL, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine
• Steve Martin: Current Status, Health, Career & Net Worth

For health-conscious comedy fans in the United States, the choice is clear: Stiller’s advocacy has saved lives, his soda is a real option for cutting sugar, and his career pivot into prestige TV proves he is not coasting. Whether he retires from acting or adds more brands to his portfolio, one thing is certain — Ben Stiller’s second act is just getting started.