Breakin’ up is hard to do, especially when you’re a celebrity. Constantly in the limelight, your every move with and without your partner is documented from the moment you get together to the moment you break up. It’s a sad day when our favorite celebrity couples decide to split, but luckily, they don’t always have hard feelings – giving us the undying hope that maybe, just maybe one day some of our OTPs might get back together. We won’t hold our breath, but we won’t lose all hope, either.
Whether they met on set or the stars just aligned (figuratively and literally), these 18 celebrity exes found a way to still be friends after their breakups.
18. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
J.Lo and Marc Anthony called it quits in 2011, but their superstar friendship is still going strong. The two successfully co-parent their kids and support each other’s work really well. In October of 2016, the duo announced that they were teaming up to do a Spanish-language album. That same year, they shared a kiss onstage at the Latin Grammys. Unfortunately, despite how friendly and sweet these two are to each other, they’re still not back on. Until then, we’ll be waiting!
17. Bella Hadid and The Weeknd
Bella Hadid and The Weeknd shippers everywhere were completely distraught when this beautiful power couple decided to call it quits. The two had begun dating in 2015 and looked as happy as ever together – she even appeared in one of his music videos! Unfortunately, the singer and his muse reportedly broke it off in November 2016 after a year and a half of dating. A few weeks later, the two were reunited on stage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, of all places!
We were all shook as hell (in a good way) when Bella strutted her stuff past Abel in the most beautiful lingerie while he performed, begging the two to get back together. Luckily, there were no hard feelings between the two. Bella tweeted the next day, “Thank you @theweeknd for being the best and most incredible performer on the planet. You KILLED it, as always.” Soon after, he was dating Selena Gomez and there were rumors of her fling with Drake, but the two remained friends. In fact, they’re spotted canoodling every once in a while, giving fans hope an official reconciliation is in order.
16. Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney
The split between Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney back in 2016 was especially shocking considering that the two were engaged. They had been together for five years, so it’s understandable that the two would make an effort to support each other in their work after breaking up. In fact, Kinney was spotted posing for photos with fans this past year at Wrigley Field when Lady Gaga headlined there in August. In an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in October 2016, Lady Gaga said, “He’s been my lover and a friend for so long,” she said. “We love each other. That’s it.” She’s now dating Christian Carino, but that doesn’t mean that she had to cut all ties with her BFF ex!
15. Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake
Although both stars have been exes for quite a while, Cameron Diaz and Justin TImberlake still remain on good terms. Both are now married (so, sorry Justin and Cameron shippers), but continue to praise and support each other in their work. In fact, we did get a reunion between the two back in 2011 for the movie Bad Teacher.
It wasn’t the big romantic reunion you may have been hoping for, but it was fun to see them interact on the big screen. Talking about the movie to Us Magazine, Cameron said, “Justin and I have always had a good laugh together, and to make a movie where we get to have a laugh together, there really was no one else who was more perfect for this part.”
14. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield
Unfortunately, Peter and Gwen – I mean – Andrew and Emma couldn’t make their adorable relationship work. We’ll be forever sad that their relationship ended in 2015, but at least the two aren’t on bad terms. The former loves have been friendly on red carpets since then and were spotted chatting and laughing at the Governers Awards last year, for example. In an interview with Vanity Fair early last year, Andrew shared the sweetest words about his ex. “I’m her biggest fan as an artist. So for me, it’s been bliss to be able to watch her success and watch her bloom into the actress that she is. And it’s also been wonderful to have that kind of support for each other. It’s nothing but a beautiful thing.” This was AFTER they broke up. *Swoon*
13. Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom
Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom were one hot, beautiful couple. Bloom has been kickin’ it with Katy Perry on and off since then, but it hasn’t done too much to their friendship. The two share a young son named Flynn that definitely plays a hand in keeping the two good friends, and we’re glad they can both be together to raise him. Plus, the two don’t seem to have any hard feelings about the relationships they moved on to, so they’re obviously very mature about the split.
12. B.J. Novak & Mindy Kaling
Many of you probs know B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling from The Office. The two were absolutely hilarious, both dating on the show and IRL! In fact, Mindy Kaling was one of the top writers of the show, and B.J. Novak was one of the writers and executive producers. It only makes sense that this power duo would get together.
Despite their split, the two remain absolutely amazing friends. Novak recently congratulated Kaling on all her success, taking to Twitter to write some kind words. “When I met @mindykaling she lived in a small apartment on Fairfax Ave,” he said, along with a photo of a promo for A Wrinkle In Time. “This is what’s in front of that building today. Congrats Mindy and a future congrats to all those who see you in it and are inspired to do great things.” After their split, he appeared on her show The Mindy Project and the two have even escorted one another to awards shows platonically. Now that is how you do a breakup.
11. Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe
Sparks absolutely flew between these two gorgeous stars when they met at Reese’s 21st birthday party. The two were engaged one year later in 1998 and married just one year after that – the same year their movie Cruel Intentions was released – while Reese was already pregnant with their first child. Unfortunately, they decided to end their marriage in 2007 after having two kids together, but they still remain friendly – which is shocking considering their split came after wide speculation that Ryan had cheated.
In 2014, Ryan told HuffPost Live about a time they walked through Central Park together one day post-divorce. “We were reminiscing then because we shot a lot of Cruel Intentions [there], so there we were with Ava and Deacon talking, and they were tripping out on the fact that we were there shooting a movie before they were even a thought in our minds.”
10. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner decided to split back in 2015 amid rumors that Ben was having some alcohol dependency issues. The pair shares three children, so they reunite for holidays and still make the effort to remain in each other’s lives in a big way, but it’s clear that their three children are really the glue that holds these exes together. In fact, during an interview with a New York Times journalist, Ben had nothing but sweet things to say about Jen. Absolutely praising his ex, Ben had even called Jennifer the “greatest mom in the world.”
9. Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas
But what about The Final Jam?! Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato were the Disney-born couple we all needed. Although their relationship didn’t last that long for the then-teens, it was certainly a wild ride for all the Camp Rock fans. And honestly, after watching the movie as a little tween, we’re not surprised that the two lovebirds decided to give it a go. Luckily, these two still remain friends today and are supportive of each other’s fantastic careers. Dems is even still BFFs with Joe’s brother, Nick Jonas, so they’re spotted together quite often.
8. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore
In 1998, the divorce between Bruce Willis and Demi Moore was the buzz of Hollywood. Despite all the trouble these two went through over the years, they still manage to make it work together. In fact, their divorce was one of the more drama-free ones in Hollywood, so it’s not too surprising that the two could stay friends. In 2015, the entire family reunited on Dancing With the Stars to support their daughter Rumer Willis as she competed for the Mirror Ball.
7. Fergie and Josh Duhamel
Fergie and Josh Duhamel announced their split after eight years of marriage in 2017. Luckily, the two exes said they’d remain friendly for years to come. After all, you don’t just forget years and years of love exchanged with another. In a joint statement, they said, “With absolute love and respect we decided to separate as a couple earlier this year.” Clearly, the two had been on different paths for a while. They have a four-year-old son named Axl, so again, we’re happy the two found a way to be friendly and stay in each other’s lives, for the sake of their kid!
6. Heidi Kulm and Seal
To the dismay of many, this celebrity couple split back in 2014. Heidi Klum and Seal have four kids together, so never talking again was simply never an option. However, this pair makes co-parenting look easy peasy. Heidi even welcomed her ex-husband as a judge on America’s Got Talent in 2017! The two exes looked pretty happy together and she tweeted a video of the two of them walking the red carpet with the caption, “Back in step!! Bringing my fave singer to my fave show to guest judge @Seal @nbcagt #SealAtAGT #LookOutAmerica #DontMissIt.” How sweet!
5. Courteney Cox and David Arquette
The split between Courteney Cox and David Arquette was especially upsetting for horror movie fans. If you’ve never seen the movie series Scream, just know that the chemistry was strong AF between these two stars! Many were heartbroken about their split in 2011, but Cox was able to clear up any sadness back in 2016 when asked about why they split. She said, “I think that we were such good friends. We found ourselves leading separate lives and just coexisting and being great friends, but not having the intimacy that…is so important in a relationship. I think you really need to work in a relationship, and I think that we tried. We’re just really different, too. I’m the polar opposite of him. That can be great for a lot of things, but I need this kind of real, one-on-one connection.” They’ve got a daughter together, so they’ll be in one another’s lives forever NMW.
4. Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder
We met Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder as two hot and sexy vampires on The Vampire Diaries. So, it was pretty exciting when these two got together in real life! (Sans the fangs.) Now, as you probs know, Ian is married to Nikki Reed, and the two had a baby not too long ago. Fortunately for Delena shippers, the exes AND Nikki are all friends! No shade here. Reed took to Instagram last year even to bash all the people trying to stir up drama with a photo of the three of them, all smiles. I guess if we can’t have them as a couple, we might as well have all three of them as friends.
3. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
Mariah Carey and Nick Canon were another married couple that unfortunately decided to divorce. However, the two remain huge supporters of one another, especially when it comes to their kids. We can’t have the Kids’ Choice Awards without this duo, so fortunately, the pair remains friendly enough to hit the orange carpet with their twins Moroccan and Monroe. The foursome seems to have a fun time together at every show, posing together for fun pics and even coordinating their outfits. As long as they’re happy!
2. Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama
It was a sad, sad day for many fans when Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama decided to mutually split after six years of dating. The two seemed absolutely crazy about each other, but unfortunately, Demi has struggled with many dark years with sobriety. In her documentary Simply Complicated, the singer said, “My heart’s always with Wilmer. You don’t share six years with somebody and not give them a piece of your heart and vice versa.” Demi knew she still had some demons to conquer in her life, but there is definitely no love lost between these two.
1. Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum
We’re still not over their split, TBH, but at least they’re on good terms. *sobbing* Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum shockingly announced their separation back in April of 2018 to the shock of many fans. The exes had become friendly on the set of Step Up, eventually going on to marry and have a daughter together. However, the two released a joint statement along with their split, making it very clear that the two still intended to remain friends.
In the statement, they “lovingly chose to separate,” saying, “Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now. There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision — just two best-friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible.”