In a world rife with paparazzi, die-hard fans, and all-around glamour, genuine friendship is not always easy to find. We have seen many Hollywood friendships come and go throughout the years. Even the ones we thought might last have since faded into obscurity. You might even be surprised to learn that some of these celebrities were once very close! We might never know the whole story, but it is interesting to learn some degree of drama that went on behind the scenes. With that said, here are some of the most publicized and discussed friendship breakups in the entertainment industry.
The Rock and Tyrese Gibson
The tight-knit family presented to us by the Fast and Furious movies had their own set of real-life problems too. On social media, Dwayne Johnson once called his co-star Tyrese some pretty bad names. To these, Tyrese replied that Johnson was being a prima donna.
This social media name-calling feud reached its climax on the set of their movie back in 2016. Johnson even said that if the audience thought he was looking genuinely heated during one scene, this was the reason why. It’s good that these guys both have proper insurance. They could have seriously hurt each other while fighting!
Drake Bell and Josh Peck
The dynamic duo that consisted of Josh Peck and Drake Bell rose to fame after they were featured on The Amanda Show. They worked so well together that they later got their own series, Drake and Josh. With four seasons and two films to their credit, you would think that these two would share a lasting friendship. This was not the case, though.
It began after Bell found out that Peck got married and that he was not invited to the ceremony. So much for being friends forever! Fortunately, the former TV-brothers did mend their relationship and have remained good friends since.
Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler
Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler were inseparable as friends for more than a decade. They were the epitome of friendship goals for many of their fans. The host was even among the guests in the intimate Aniston-Theroux wedding! However, this friendship began to crumble after Handler told Radar Online private information that Aniston shared with her. Handler would later say that she was just defending her friend.
As for Aniston, she burned bridges her former BFF, along with the publicist they shared. In 2017, however, Handler hinted in an interview that Aniston may not have been completely truthful in the incident.
Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria
Betrayal is among the most common reasons cited for broken friendships. This was the case for Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria. When J-Lo got an attorney to handle her separation from Marc Anthony, Longoria took it upon herself to comfort the singer’s ex-husband.
While there’s nothing wrong with this, a picture of her sitting on his lap during one Las Vegas party came out less than a year after J-Lo gave birth to their twins. J-Lo felt betrayed and ended the friendship. Reportedly, she and close friend Victoria Beckham also cut ties. Beckham and Longoria are still good friends, however.
Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck
When romantic relationships get in the way of friendships, things never turn out great. Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith were close friends for a while, but it seems Affleck had to choose between his best buddy and his wife.
According to Smith, he and Affleck no longer hang out because Garner was not very fond of him and his humor. In his own words, Smith claims that his best friend’s wife, “don’t care for me at all”. The marriage between Affleck and Garner did not last, though, so maybe the two friends can rekindle their broken friendship and pick up where they last left off?
Winona Ryder and Gwyneth Paltrow
It seems betrayal is becoming a running theme on our list. Next, we have former besties Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder. The two actresses dominated the 90’s film industry together. These two were such close friends that, for a time, they even lived together!
Things changed after Paltrow bagged the role that Ryder was auditioning for in Shakespeare in Love. Ryder was not happy about Paltrow getting the role, and we presume she became unhappier after Paltrow won an Academy Award for Best Actress for it. The degree of loyalty between friends probably isn’t the same when you’re in Hollywood.
Heather Locklear and Denise Richards
When men get in between the friendships of women, you can expect a lot of drama. Best friends Heather Locklear and Denise Richards used to have a tight bond. At the time, Locklear was married to Richie Sambora, while Denise Richards was married to Charlie Sheen.
They were often seen double-dating and seemed to be happy in their marriages. In time, however, both relationships came to an end. This is where things got messy. Richards and Sambora began seeing each other and Locklear felt betrayed. This ended their friendship, but it should be noted that Richards was not the cause of the split between Locklear and Sambora.
Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper
Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper had been hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast for over a decade before their friendship crumbled. Beyond the bond we were shown on-screen, these two had a much closer relationship in real life and had been friends for years.
In 2017, Griffin was involved in a controversial photoshoot. On the same day, Cooper tweeted that he was appalled by the post. He said it was “clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate”. Though he told the media they were still friends, Griffin told New York magazine that they no longer keep in touch. In every friendship, communication is a key investment.
Jeremy Piven and John Cusack
Actor Jeremy Piven made a career out of playing the best friend role in many movies. He did well as John Cusack’s sidekick in Gross Pointe Blank and Say Anything. When Piven started receiving bigger film credit, however, they grew distant from each other. Piven once told The Washington Post that he has always supported his friend and remained proud of Cusack’s work.
As for Cusack, his controversial statements about his former friend’s success following the end of their friendship certainly caught people’s attention. According to him, “It just says so much about a person if he has space for other people’s success.”
Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker
The women of Sex and the City often claimed to be the best of friends, but this was tested when Kim Cattrall did not agree to be in the third movie. This caused the franchise to stop production and led to major drama and falling out between the cast.
This escalated after Cattrall’s brother passed away and Parker wrote her a message. Cattrall replied to the message and called Parker cruel for trying to “exploit the tragedy to restore her “nice girl” image. This degree of damage in a friendship can’t easily be undone, but we wish them the best!