5 Long-Standing Celebrity Friendships You Didn’t Know About

Hollywood has produced some of the world's best talents, and despite the industry's notoriously turbulent nature, it has also been a place where stars found long-lasting companionships with their peers.

The entertainment industry has long been known to be incredibly competitive, sometimes even leading to long-standing and highly-publicized rivalries. Every so often, however, a friendship blooms between artists and it warms the hearts of many.

Below, we'll have a look at some of the most iconic Hollywood friendships that have stood the test of time, from Steve Martin and Martin Short to the late legendary actresses Betty White and Lucille Ball.

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin met backstage at Tomlin's one-woman show, "Appearing Nitely," in the late '70s in downtown Los Angeles. The pair quickly struck up a friendship and were soon cast in the iconic 1980 comedy "9 to 5," alongside Dolly Parton.

"We've been friends ever since," Tomlin told the Washington Post in 2017. "We're friends because I just love her. I know Jane has my back whenever she can."

Fonda and Tomlin, who are also known for their social activism, went on to co-star on several successful projects, including Netflix's "Grace and Frankie," which ran for a staggering seven seasons, 2023's "80 for Brady," and 2022's "Moving On."

In 2022, Fonda opened up about how their friendship has evolved after working together for several years. "It just deepens on its own, just automatically deepens," she told the Los Angeles Times.

"You get to know each other pretty darn well because in a movie, it's a relatively short period of time. And you can fake it [and [pretend to] be a good person. But over seven years [working on a TV series], if you're not really a good person, it shows," Fonda said. "And guess what? She's a good person."

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have known each other since they were kids. The Boston-born actors met in 1980, when Damon was ten and Affleck was eight. They lived only two blocks apart in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

They quickly formed a friendship over their love of baseball and acting. In a 2019 interview on "Conan," Damon recalled the moment their friendship was solidified when Affleck stood up for him in a fight with a bigger kid at school.

"I remember that was like a big moment," Damon said at the time. "He will put himself in a really bad spot for me. This is a good friend." As teens, they began auditioning together, propelling their respective careers to superstardom.

Steve Martin and Martin Short

Steve Martin and Martin Short first crossed paths in 1984. "I met Steve, the first time, backstage at 'The New Show,' an hour-long version of 'Saturday Night Live' in prime time that Lorne Michaels was producing for NBC," Short told InStyle in 2024.

Martin had been a guest host that week. He and Short briefly met backstage, but they didn't get a chance to connect until Short picked up his script for their 1986 western comedy, "Three Amigos!" at Martin's house.

They have since collaborated on several projects together, including the "Father of Bride Films." They've also made numerous public appearances together, where they’re known for their hilarious onstage banter and comedic chemistry.

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King met as young journalists in 1976, when they were both employed at Baltimore's WJZ station. Winfrey was an anchor for the six o'clock news, while King worked as a production assistant.

Their friendship began when Winfrey invited King to stay at her home during a snowstorm, and the rest was history. "We became friends that first night because for the first time, I met somebody who I felt was like me," King once said of Winfrey. "I'd never met anybody like that."

Betty White and Lucille Ball

Betty White and Lucille Ball first met in around 1957. The pair, who went on to become comic legends, had both worked in radio prior to pursuing acting careers. "We were buddies," White told Closer Weekly of Ball in 2017. "She was always going to teach me backgammon."

"Lucy and Betty's relationship spanned more than just being show business acquaintances," a source told the outlet. "They considered each other family." Their friendship endured until Ball's tragic passing at age 77 in 1989. White, who was 11 years Ball's junior, eventually passed in 2021.