Where would Timon be without Pumbaa? Monica without Rachel? Or Laverne without Shirley? Our best friends are an extension of who we are — they’re the engine behind our greatest (and sure, sometimes most ridiculous) adventures. So in honor of National Best Friends Day, flip through these real-life celeb friendships with your BFF!
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The pair first met after they were set up on a blind date in the 1990s. It didn't turn into anything romantic, but it was the start of a beautiful friendship. “I mean we've been friends for 25 years,” Cohen told USA Today. “He's just an incredibly loyal and caring and sensitive and great friend.”
"I remember we were both nervous,” Timberlake told Entertainment Tonight of meeting Fallon at the 2002 VMAs. “But the funny thing about our friendship, even when it first started, is that... nothing was that serious. We kind of like, we started doing bits back and forth. You know, and that's all we do now.”
Pinkett Smith, 15 at the time, first met Latifah after she snuck into a nightclub where the rapper had a show. "It was in Baltimore at a club where she was performing," Pinkett Smith told People. "I'd never seen anyone like her before, this female rapper named Queen Latifah. I convinced the promoter to let me introduce her."
They may play foes in the Marvel universe, but in real life, Stewart and McKellen have been friends for over 20 years. They bonded while shooting the X-Men franchise, Stewart told The Hollywood Reporter, and grew so close that McKellen even “performed the ceremony” at Stewart’s wedding to Sunny Ozell in 2013.
Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz were besties way before they starred in the 2000 remake of Charlie's Angels. "We met when I was 14, and she was 16," Barrymore told People. "I was working at a coffeehouse, and she was a junior model. She's still my bestie and sistie — sistie? That's a new word."
Friends for more than three decades, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire first met as child actors. DiCaprio told Esquire in 2014, "I literally jumped out of the car. I was like, 'Tobey! Tobey! Hey! Hey!' And he was like, 'Oh, yeah — I know you. You're... that guy.' But I just made him my pal.”
Here’s an iconic duo who brings out the best in each other! While working in their early 20s at WJZ-TV in Baltimore (where they met), a snowstorm hit. Winfrey let King crash at her place so she wouldn't get snowed in. "We ended up talking all night long," Winfrey told People. "We've literally been friends ever since."
When you think about it, Stone and Lawrence have very similar vibes, so it's no surprise the two are friends. Lawrence told Vanity Fair, "She [Stone] texted me that she got my number from Woody [Harrelson]. I replied, 'F*ck off!' And we've been really good friends ever since." Sounds about right.
Practically sisters at this point, Laura Dern and Courteney Cox — along with their families — share a special tradition of spending Christmas Eve together. In 2019, they honored it for the 14th year in a row, which Dern commemorated with a cute Instagram post.
The best friendships are rooted in relentless (and harmless) teasing you both enjoy. Case in point? Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, who choose to express their love by making fun of each other almost every chance they get.