Heartwarming Celebrity Friendships That Withstood The Test Of Time

Zendaya & Tom Holland

Tom Holland and Zendaya met in 2016 while filming Spiderman: Homecoming, and their connection was instantly obvious. The pair began spending a lot of time together and became fast friends, but the media suspected there was more going on. Like a true romance, these friends-to-lovers confirmed they’d entered into a romantic relationship in 2021. The power couple is still going strong today, and they both credit their strong friendship for giving them a solid foundation to rely on once they entered into a more intimate relationship.

Steve Martin & Martin Short

Martin and Short have one of the longest friendships on this list- lasting nearly forty years! The pair met while filming 1986 hit Three Amigos! and became fast friends. Over the years, they’ve worked on other projects together, including their most recent Hulu film, Only Murders in the Building. As the decades passed, Martin and Short became integral parts of each other’s lives. The pair supported each other through major life events and even vacationed together. Martin spoke with PEOPLE about their friendship and said, “There’s just an ease between us. Sometimes, I’ll hang out with Marty, and I’ll realize I haven’t laughed that hard in two months. And that just feels great.”

Leonardo Dicaprio & Kate Winslet

Winslet and Dicaprio have one of the sweetest friendships in Hollywood. The pair met while auditioning for their roles in Titanic and developed a close friendship while on set. This friendship followed them through the ensuing years, and the pair supported each other as they navigated the waters of life. Dicaprio walked Winslet down the aisle during her wedding in 2012, and the pair struggled through the pandemic, offering support while unable to see each other in person. Winslet told The Guardian about her friendship with Dicaprio and how tough the pandemic was for them. “Like so many friendships globally, we’ve missed each other because of COVID. He’s my friend, my really close friend. We’re bonded for life,” the actress said.

Jennifer Aniston & Courteney Cox

Jennifer and Courteney met while filming the hit tv series Friends. It’s not too surprising that a life-long friendship came out of this show, and Jennifer attributes much of what she learned while filming to her ability to maintain such a lasting relationship. “We’ve been through so many things together,” Jennifer said. “The show taught us the importance of camaraderie and really sticking together. And it’s taught me about being there for each other.” The pair have supported each other through the ups and downs of life and publically say they consider each other family.

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have been friends since the early decades, and the pair rose to stardom together. They met in Chicago while taking improv classes, and this powerful pair motivated each other to improve their skills until they both eventually achieved spots on Saturday Night Live. They’ve since filmed multiple movies together and have carved out a friendship that’s impenetrable by the pressures of Hollywood. Amy spoke about their friendship while being interviewed and said, “She’s the same way back then as she is now, which is really, really funny and incredibly hardworking and a very supportive and loyal friend.”

Nicole Kidman & Naomi Watts

Kidman and Watts have been friends for over three decades! The actresses became fast friends while filming Flirting in 1991, but they actually knew each other far before that. The pair attended the same high school in Australia and performed in the same theater company, but their friendship didn’t blossom until they worked on the film together. Nicole spoke with PEOPLE about her friendship and bond with Naomi, and said, “We’ve gone through a lot together over a significant amount of time. That history binds you. We have a strong respect and love for one another.”

Robert Pattinson & Tom Sturridge

Both of these London-born actors have found immense success in the world of Hollywood. Pattinson and Sturridge don’t often speak about each other in interviews, but the pair have been friends since they were a mere 13 years old! The pair were very close with each other’s families growing up, and it appears that trend is going to continue as Sturridge’s sister named Pattinson the godfather to his daughter. While the pair don’t often speak about their decades-long friendship, they’re often spotted by the paparazzi having the time of their lives while hanging out together!

Ben Affleck & Matt Damon

Would you believe Affleck and Damon have been friends for over forty years? The two stars grew up together in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and bonded over their mutual love of baseball, acting, and filmmaking. Their formative years of sharing their passions bonded them for life and led to an unbreakable friendship. They lived together for a time while pursuing their dreams in LA. Affleck spoke with GQ about this time in their lives and said, “My own kind of sanity and mental health really benefited from having someone who I grew up with and knew as a child who was also going through something similar.”

Liv Tyler & Kate Hudson

Live Tyler and Kate Hudson are big names in Hollywood, and the pair have maintained a close bond since the 90s. They were introduced by their famous parents in childhood and ended up attending the same school together. The two friends chased their acting dreams together after graduating high school and were both cast in the film Dr. T and the Women in 2000. The pair have remained inseparable ever since. Kate even asked Liv to be the godmother to her son! These two have a friendship that’s rare in Hollywood!

Oprah & Gayle King

Oprah and Gayle were close friends long before Oprah rose to fame as a talk show host. They originally met in Boston while working at a TV station in the 70s during the earliest stages of their careers. More than forty years of friendship have seen these two through the ups and downs of life. They stuck by each other’s sides and have frequently spoken about the importance of their friendship. Oprah once said, “Whatever this friendship is, it’s been a very fun ride—and we’ve taken it together.”

Richard Pryor & Gene Wilder

Pryor and Wilder were a comedy dynamic duo in the 70s and 80s, starring in films together such as Another You and Stir Crazy. They enjoyed a long, fulfilling friendship that not only propelled their careers forward, but also provided them with a guidepost through life. When Pryor passed away in 2005, Wilder was devastated at the loss of his best friend. Wilder reflected on his life-long partner in crime in 2013 and said, “When he was good he was wonderful, when he was bad, he was awful.”

Jada Pinkett Smith & Queen Latifah

Who doesn’t love an inspiring display of girl power? Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah have been best friends since the 90s. They met as teens while Queen Latifah performed at a club in Baltimore. Jada spoke to People in 2017 about her first impressions on the rapper and said, “I’d never seen anyone like her before, this female rapper named Queen Latifah. I convinced the promoter to let me introduce her.” The rest is, as they say, history! The pair became fast friends and even starred in a couple of movies together.

Penelope Cruz & Salma Hayek

Cruz and Hayek’s friendship was forged in fire, which is probably why their bond is as unbreakable as steel! The pair were already friends when their plane had to make an emergency landing while flying them to Mexico to film Bandidas in 2004. The pair became inseparable after surviving this near-death experience and developed one of the most adored friendships in Hollywood history. They even developed their own special pet names for each other, and the pair frequently posts on social media about their adventures together.

Regina Hall & Sanaa Lathan

Regina Hall and Sanaa Lathan have known each other for over twenty years! They’ve poured so much of their personal lives into each other that they’ve begun referring to each other as their “human diaries.” Hall was recognized at the Step Up Inspiration Awards in 2018 for her commitment to mentoring young women in Los Angeles, and Sanaa posted a heartwarming dedication to her best friend after she received the award. “Had the pleasure of honoring my bestie @morereginahall today at the Step Up inspiration awards. So proud of you Regina you inspire me and so many others. Love u and congratulations!” Lathan wrote.

Busy Philipps & Michelle Williams

Philipps and Williams met on the set of Dawson’s Creek back in 2001, and their friendship became an immediate staple in each other’s lives. They’ve supported each other through major life events, including death and birth. Williams is the godmother to Phillips’s daughter and supported her friend when Health Ledger passed away. Williams spoke with People in 2016 about their friendship and said, “I’m so in love with her. She’s proof that the love of your life does not have to be a man! That’s the love of my life right there.”

Jeanette McCurdy & Miranda Cosgrove

Many of the younger readers of this list will recognize Jeanette McCurdy and Miranda Cosgrove. The stars made their mark on Hollywood while filming iCarly and became best friends during filming, despite some obstacles. McCurdy’s mother infamously tried to stop the girls from being friends, but true love always wins out! In her tell-all novel, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” McCurdy spoke about their friendship and said Cosgrove was an amazing source of emotional support and inspiration.

Jennifer Lopez & Leah Remini

Remini and Lopez first met in 2004 through their male significant others. Remini spoke about feeling a little star-struck when she met J. Lo for the first time and said in an interview with Los Angeles Times, “As I was walking up to the table, I was like, ‘Ugh, God, you’re even prettier in real life.’ She started laughing, and I was like, ‘Ugh, and you have a sense of humor even?'” The pair became fast friends and frequently attended events together where the media raved about their closeness. J. Lo and Leah have become the definition of friendship goals!

Meghan Markle & Serena Williams

You may not expect the Duchess of Sussex and a tennis player to be besties, but these two are smashing friendship stereotypes left and right! They were brought together during the 2010 Super Bowl before Markle became royalty, and their friendship was instantaneous. Megan discussed their friendship on her now-defunct blog and said, “We are both the same age, have a penchant for hot sauces and adore fashion, but what connects us more than those things is perhaps our belief in exceeding expectations – our endless ambition.”

Taylor Swift & Selena Gomez

The two pop sensations met in 2008 when Swift and Gomez dated the Jonas brothers, Joe and Nick Jonas respectively. The pair can frequently be seen attending events together and often post cute dedications to each other on social media. During a 2017 interview, Selena Gomez joked that their friendship, “was the best thing we got out of those relationships.” It’s wonderful to see women coming together and staying together even when the men who helped them meet don’t stick around!

Adam Levine & Jonah Hill

Levine and Hill were friends back in high school, causing trouble together as one would expect! The pair became fast friends after their fathers met and introduced them during their teen years. The Grammy-winning Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and Oscar-nominated actor Jonah Hill have been inseparable since their early years and have even stated in interviews that they think of each other as family. They’ve remained close throughout their adult lives, and now their sons are best friends as well!

BJ Novak & Mindy Kaling

BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling met in 2004 as writers for the hit comedy series The Office. At one point, their friendship did turn to romance, but when that didn’t work out, the pair easily went back to their super close and super platonic relationship. Kaling said this about their relationship during an interview with InStyle in 2015, “He is not my boyfriend, but he is not my best friend. I guess you could describe our relationship as a ‘romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments,’ but I don’t think Facebook would accept this as a new status.”

Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff