Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in humans. Ongoing research aims to clarify the mechanisms involved in this relationship. Studying pathways that are involved in the dissociation between fatty liver and insulin resistance may help to achieve this goal. Among several enzymes that regulate the fate of hepatic lipids, adipose triacylglycerol lipase (ATGL) is of interest. This article briefly summarises novel information about the impact of ATGL in this process.