The only thing more intense than a Hollywood divorce is a bestie breakup. Maybe it’s the lack of money, kids, and property involved. They don’t hold back when they’ve got nothing lose. Whatever the reason, many stars aren’t afraid to burn a friendship bridge.
Losing friends is an unfortunate part of life for everyone. But for celebrity friendships, the feuding parties are losing some of the few people in their lives who genuinely understand the extremely strange and surreal experience that they share: being admired and judged worldwide by people who don’t even know them.
These days, it seems apropos that BFF is so close to “beef”. For some of the former celebrity BFFs on this list, their issues have been marinating for years. Sometimes they stew in silence until something triggers them to boil over. Other famous friends like to keep the drama fresh and public.
With the advent of social media, a great many of these bestie breakups played out on Twitter or Instagram, giving fans front row seats to every sling of mud or toss of shade.
Here are 20 Celeb Enemies Who Used To Be Best Friends.
20. THE ROCK AND TYRESE GIBSON
What’s up with these hyper-masculine Fast and Furious stars? One minute, they’re “family”, and the next they’re mud-slinging on social media.
While Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson called one of his co-stars a “chicken s***” and “candy a**”, Tyrese accused The Rock of being a prima donna. In 2016, The Rock alluded to an on-set kerfuffle. “When you watch this movie next April and it seems like…my blood is legit boiling—you’re right.”
Diesel would only say, “It’s not always easy being an alpha. And it’s two alphas.”
In a deleted Insta, Tyrese wrote, “If you move forward with that #Hobbs Movie you will have purposely ignored the heart to heart moment we had in my sprinter…”
Co-star Michelle Rodriguez explains, “Any human being who knows what men are like knows to stay out [of those] situations and let them figure it out.”
19. DRAKE BELL AND JOSH PECK
Even Drake Bell didn’t know about his falling out with Josh Peck. The Nickelodeon stars had so much chemistry on The Amanda Show that they scored their own sitcom, Drake & Josh. The duo amicably packed in it after four seasons and two movies.
In 2017, Peck posted photos from his wedding to Paige O’Brien and Bell responded with deep offense about not getting an invitation. “True colors have come out today,” Bell tweeted. “Message is loud and clear. Ties are officially cut. I’ll miss you brother.” Bell later deleted the tweets but the internet never forgets and neither will Bell.
The internet lost their minds over it. One fan tweeted, “I Found A Way” is the BIGGEST lie of a song I’ve ever heard.”
18. JENNIFER ANISTON AND CHELSEA HANDLER
Blonde BFFs Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler were attached at the hip for 15 years. The Chelsea! host was one of the few guests at Aniston’s wedding to Justin Theroux.
Shortly after the wedding, Radar Online’s sources claim Handler spoke out of school about Aniston’s relationship with Theroux and her feelings about Brangelina. Handler claims she was simply speaking in defense of her bestie, but that’s not how Jen saw it. Handler lost not only Aniston but also their shared publicist Stephen Huvane.
Of course, it’s possible the Friends star isn’t blameless in the breakup. In a 2017 interview Chelsea told Howard Stern, “If you lie to me or you lie about me, I can’t take that… I’m a really good friend and I expect the same in return.”
17. JENNIFER LOPEZ AND EVA LONGORIA
When music superstar and actress Jennifer Lopez divorced her third husband, Marc Anthony, one of her friendship casualties was reportedly actress Eva Longoria. According to sources from Life & Style, Longoria took to comforting Antony after the break up, which J-Lo saw as an epic betrayal.
To make matters worse, Longoria’s apparent brand of consolation is definitely eyebrow-raising.
In 2008, the tabloids published a photo of Longoria “comforting” Anthony by sitting on his lap at a party in Las Vegas. The photo was taken only a few months after Lopez had given birth to twins.
J-Lo allegedly also lost longtime friend Victoria Beckham in the divorce. Meanwhile, Posh Spice and Longoria are still tight.
16. KEVIN SMITH AND BEN AFFLECK
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are lifelong besties. But the Daredevil star reportedly doesn’t have the same loyalty to the director who helped put him on the map. For a while, Affleck was as integral to a Kevin Smith film as jokes about comics and potty humor.
Smith revealed their rift to the world when Yahoo asked him about Affleck as Batman. Smith responded, “I don’t know, because we’re not f*ing tight.” He was quick to blame Ben’s missus for their estrangement. “He’s got a wife [Jennifer Garner] that don’t care for me at all… Jennifer does not share the same sense of humor as me… I was talking smack [about Ben] and Jennifer goes, ‘You know, if you keep saying stuff about him, I’m going to kick you’re a.’… She has a real girly sense of humor and didn’t understand that I was kidding.”
Garner and Smith had co-starred in the romantic comedy Catch & Release, but apparently they never hit it off. Maybe now that Bennifer 2.0 are over, Bevin has another shot?
15. WINONA RYDER AND GWYNETH PALTROW
Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder were once constant companions who shared everything, including living quarters. The ‘90s screen queens even dated BFFs Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. But it was a man named William who would end their co-habitation and friendship. When Ryder was auditioning for Shakespeare in Love, Paltrow yoinked the script, and went on to win a best actress Oscar for her role in the film.
Years later, when Ryder was busted for shoplifting, the GOOP founder took a swipe at her former roomie, in her newsletter: “Back in the day, I had a ‘frenemy’ who… was pretty hell-bent on taking me down… I restrained myself from fighting back. I tried to take the high road. But one day I heard that something unfortunate and humiliating had happened to this person. And my reaction was deep relief and happiness.”
14. HEATHER LOCKLEAR AND DENISE RICHARDS
Here’s to simpler times when ’90s bombshells Heather Locklear and Denise Richards could double date with their Bad Boy husbands (Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and Charlie Sheen, respectively) and no one was cheating or beating them. Then, in 2006, Locklear and Richards got matching divorces.
Instead of forming an ex-wives club, Richards fell for Sambora.
In a Redbook interview, Richards claims they didn’t fall out because of Sambora, but it obviously didn’t help. “I was no longer friends with Heather months before Richie and I got together. I don’t want to say what caused the split, but she and I weren’t even speaking then…If Heather and I had been friends at that time, I would never have crossed that line… I get why the public thinks I’m an awful person who stole someone’s husband. But in my heart, I know I did not break up their marriage.”
13. KATHY GRIFFIN AND ANDERSON COOPER
For 10 years, Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper were the Kathie Lee and Hoda of CNN’s New Years Eve broadcast. Off-screen, their friendship went back 17 years.
Unfortunately, a political joke gone wrong cost Griffin her job and her BFF.
In May 2017, the comedian posed with a bloody head, as a reference to Trump’s comments about Megyn Kelly. The backlash was swift and brutal. Griffin says she faced it alone. The day the photo hit, Cooper tweeted, “For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.”
Griffin told New York magazine that Cooper didn’t contact her for weeks, despite still referring to her as his friend in interviews. When finally got around to texting her, she told him he shouldn’t have bothered. Their friendship was over.
12. JEREMY PIVEN AND JOHN CUSACK
Jeremy Piven was great at playing John Cusack’s ever-present exuberant friend in the likes of Say Anything and Gross Pointe Blank, but after Piven came into his own as an actor, things seemed to cool off between the two actors.
Piven spoke cryptically about their falling out with The Washington Post. “No comment. I mean, you could fill in the blank, I bet.” By way of explanation, he added, “I was always proud of him, and I was always in his corner. Always.”
Piven continued with: “It just says so much about a person if he has space for other people’s success. I have always been so proud of my friends’ success… You start getting into trouble in life when you start comparing and contrasting your life to anyone else’s. You don’t win when you do that.”
11. KIM CATTRALL AND SARAH JESSICA PARKER
For years, Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker insisted that the Sex and the City cast were the best of friends, including them. In 2010, Cattrall told Daily Mail, “People don’t want to believe that we get on… They have too much invested in the idea of two strong, successful women fighting with each other.”
In recent years, the former co-stars changed their tune. When rumors swirled that Cattrall’s refusal to return for a third Sex and the City movie had stopped the franchise, the two started throwing shade against one another in the press.
After the tragic death of Cattrall’s brother, Parker wrote a short message of condolence to her former co-star. Cattrall responded, “Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear… You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ’nice girl’ persona.”
Cattrall also linked to an article about “the mean-girls culture that destroyed Sex And The City.”
10. RIHANNA AND KATY PERRY
Apparently, Rihanna and Katy Perry don’t subscribe to the notion of “sisters before misters”. For years, paparazzi photographed them snuggling at all sorts of events and they repeatedly gushed about one another to the press. But Perry reportedly put her foot down when Rihanna went back to her abusive boyfriend, Chris Brown. She told Marie Claire: “I didn’t reach out to her after the incident.”
When Perry caught flack for dating John Mayer after her divorce from Russell Brand, Rihanna threw shade in The Observer. “Katy Perry can date anyone she wants. I could never give relationship advice to anybody.”
More recently, Katy Perry named RiRi as one of here dream judges for American Idol, to which Rihanna responded: “I don’t know. Depends how bored I am.”
9. PARIS HILTON AND KIM KARDASHIAN, NICOLE RICHIE, AND LINDSAY LOHAN
Paris Hilton is a bridge-burner of epic proportions. She’s had several high-profile besties over the years.
Though Paris often keeps her reasons for ending the friendship to herself, the tabloids give fans the gist.
It began in 2005 when Hilton, who had been friends with Nicole Richie since childhood, was extremely offended by something Richie did. Hilton cryptically commented, “Nicole knows what she did, and that’s all I’m ever going to say about it.”
Paris rebounded with Kim Kardashian, who can even be spotted in the Simple Life organizing Paris’ cloest. Rumor has it that once Kim tasted Hilton’s “Simple Life”, she couldn’t go back to anonymity.
Paris and Lindsay Lohan enjoyed a few hard-partying months together before becoming mortal enemies and slamming each other in the press.
8. ELTON JOHN AND GEORGE MICHAEL
Elton John publicly mourned the 2016 death of George Michael, but the one-time collaborators didn’t always get on. John and Michael reportedly fell out because of the “Faith” singer’s substance abuse problem.
The public learned of their feud in 2004 when Elton said George suffered from a “deep-rooted unhappiness.” George took issue with Elton’s assessment, saying, “Most of what Elton knows about my life is limited to the gossip he hears on the gay grapevine.”
In 2009, George lashed out again, saying Elton won’t “be happy until I bang on his door in the middle of the night saying, ‘Please, please, help me, Elton. Take me to rehab.’… Elton just needs to shut his mouth and get on with his own life.”
Fortunately, sources say they managed to mend their rift in 2011 and remained friend for the rest of George’s days.
7. LAUREN CONRAD AND HEIDI MONTAG
In 2006, MTV viewers fell in love with BFFs Heidi Montag and Lauren Conrad on the reality series, The Hills. But in 2007, PerezHilton.com broke the story that would end their friendship. Montag and boyfriend Spencer Pratt spread a rumor that Conrad had made a compromising tape with her boyfriend, Jason Wahler.
Conrad took to her website for damage control saying, “…[W]e did not make a tape… Jason and I are both shocked and hurt that people would say such horrible things about us. I can’t believe that somebody would go to such great lengths to try to damage my reputation.”
Conrad was contractually obligated to shoot season 3 of The Hills, which culminated in a now legendary on-camera confrontation between mortal enemies. In March 2016, Montag that she attempted a reconciliation, but “…we both were kind of like, ‘We’re not friends.’ It’s kind of awkward.”
6. BILL MURRAY AND HAROLD RAMIS
Bill Murray and Harold Ramis made some of history’s greatest comedies. It was their friendship that sparked their creative genius, but it was also their creative genius that destroyed their friendship.
Issues during their final collaboration, Groundhog Day, caused their relationship to implode.
Murray wanted to make a black comedy while Ramis was going for something more commercial. Murray began to show up late and their arguments held up production.
Though Groundhog Day was a hit, Murray was done working with Ramis. Unfortunately, that also spelled the end of their personal relationship. They didn’t speak again for over two decades. When Ramis was on his death bed, Murray’s brother convinced him to bury the hatchet and visit his old friend.
Murray later eulogized, “Harold Ramis and I together did [many movies together]. He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him.”
5. KENAN THOMPSON AND KEL MITCHELL
’90s comedy collaborators and pals Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell both seemed poised for stardom. Today, only one of the Nickelodeon stars still regularly graces the small screen. The Good Burger auteurs disbanded after the 1997 release of their feature film.
In 2012, Mitchell told TMZ that the SNL star hadn’t spoken to him in years. “The truth is Kenan does not want to be seen with me in any form of media, or even have my name mentioned around him… I respect his choice of wanting to make a name for himself solo… I know the fans love the show and would love to see some type of appearance with us. I just don’t see that ever happening because of how he really feels.” Thompson reportedly did nothing to help Mitchell through his disastrous SNL audition.
Despite Mitchell’s assertion, Thompson agreed to take part in Jimmy Fallon’s 2015 Good Burger sketch on The Tonight Show.
4. GWYNETH PALTROW AND MADONNA
Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna had a lot in common. They were Americans living in London with their blonde British blokes. They could make kombucha together and also shared a physical trainer by the name of Tracey Anderson.
When Anderson got into some legal trouble, Madonna quickly fired her and reportedly urged Paltrow to do the same. The Sliding Doors star declined to follow Madonna’s lead and continued working with Anderson. In a classic Paltrow move she then vented in her GOOP newsletter about an “insufferable” friend who left her feeling “drained, empty and belittled.”
Madonna was reportedly still sore 2 years later. Reports came out of the Met Gala that she spent her entire evening monopolizing Beyoncé’s attention, leaving none for Paltrow. Ladies, Queen Bey has love for all her disciples.
3. Jay-Z and Kanye West
Jay-Z and Kanye West’s falling out is so epic that Channel 4 made a documentary about it. West reportedly felt that Jay-Z abandoned him emotionally after Kim Kardashian’s gun-point mugging in Paris.
West began ranting about his former best friend on stage during his shows. At one point, he said, “Don’t call me, after the robbery, and say ‘how you feelin?’ You wanna know how I’m feelin? Come by the house. Bring the kids by the house. Like we’re brothers. Let’s sit down." Not long after, West checked into the hospital for mental health.
On Jay-Z’s 2017 album, 4:44, the rapper not-so-subtly alluded to their problems in song.
2. KATY PERRY AND TAYLOR SWIFT
Taylor Swift’s wrote “Bad Blood”, one of the most notorious bestie breakup songs of all time. Though she has never explicitly confirmed, most believe it’s about Katy Perry.
It used to be mad love between the pop singers. They frequently exchanged compliments on Twitter. In 2009, Perry wrote, “@taylorswift13 You’re as sweet as pie! Let’s write a song together about the subject we know best… “ 2 months later, Swift wrote, “@Katyperry knows how to throw a birthday party!…Best EVER. Happy bday, pretty girl!!”
Some claim serial rebound boyfriend John Mayer is to blame for the “Bad Blood”. But Swift insists her beef with the ex-bestie subject of the song is 100% professional. “She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me. And I’m surprisingly non-confrontational…So now I have to avoid her.”
Perry insinuated that Swift was to blame when she tellingly tweeted, “Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing…”
1. BRITNEY SPEARS AND CHRISTINA AGUILERA
Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were the original pop frenemies. They were co-workers as children on The Mickey Mouse Club and hit the pop star scene at the same time.
In 2003, Aguilera told Blender that during rehearsals for their MTV Video Music Awards performance with Madonna, Britney, “seems to me like a lost little girl, someone who desperately needs guidance.”
Spears responded, “A lost girl? I think it’s probably the other way around. I can’t believe she said that about me. When someone has been rude to you so many times, it’s like, ‘You know what, Christina, I’m really not about the fake… anymore.”
Then in 2012, X-Tina said, “[In the] Mickey Mouse Club, we were very close, and our paths have always crossed and, interestingly, they will continue to cross.”
Do you know of any other celebrity BFFs turned enemies? Let us know in the comments!
