12 Celebrities That Ended Up Being Good Friends After a Breakup

Building up a friendship after ending a romantic relationship is never easy, but deciding to salvage the good parts that are left after a breakup is more common than we may have thought. It looks like many people wish to stay on good terms with their exes. Studies show that the majority of participants (around 65%) remained friends with their former partners after splitting.

We at Bright Side made a list of 12 famous ex-couples who prove that the end of a romance often means the beginning of a lasting friendship.

1. Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt

Although Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt dated for several years and were even engaged at one point, they never got married. But in a recent interview for the actress’ lifestyle brand, Goop, the 2 exes revealed that they still love each other as friends. Over the years, there were no hard feelings between the former sweethearts, and Paltrow even jokingly said, “I finally found the Brad I was supposed to marry. It just took me 20 years,” referring to her husband, Brad Falachuk.

2. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone

Although they’ve been broken up since 2015, the actors have remained good friends. Andrew Garfield even said in 2016 that Emma Stone is the one actress he would take with him on a desert island, while Stone described his former boyfriend as “someone I still love very much.”

3. Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber

Although they never got married, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber split amicably after spending 11 years together and having 2 children. But that doesn’t mean they cut each other out of their lives. In fact, they currently are co-parenting their kids and spending time together as friends. In 2018, the former couple even moved back in together again with their son and daughter.

4. Drew Barrymore and Justin Long

Although Justin and Drew dated for only 2 years, they’ve kept in touch, showing their mutual appreciation over the years. More than a decade after their split, Drew Barrymore praised her ex in the comment section of a “Justin Long appreciation post,” writing, “You’re not wrong. He’s great.”

5. Michael Sheen and Kate Beckinsale

Although co-parenting was more difficult for the separated couple because they were living in different countries, Michael Sheen and Kate Beckinsale stayed friends post-breakup. The actress said in a 2016 interview that she and her ex-partner have “a really similar sense of humor. I do find that humor can save an awful lot of things and help a lot of things.”

6. Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama

Although they dated for 6 years, Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama didn’t leave their relationship on bad terms. The former Disney actress even shared a photo of the 2 of them post-split, saying that they were still “best of friends no matter what.”

7. Will Smith and Sheree Zampino

Not only is Will Smith still best friends with his ex-wife and mother of his son, the actor’s wife, Jada, is also on very good terms with her husband’s ex, Sheree. Although their marriage ended decades ago, Sheree and Will stayed very close over the years. “We were put on this Earth to be co-parents. That’s what we did and that’s what we’re doing. We love each other and it’s been amazing. It’s been a blessing,” Sheree said about their friendship.

8. Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder

Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder got together and broke up during the filming of Vampire Diaries. Although their romantic relationship ended, they remained professional while still working together and stayed friends. In fact, their characters in the series got together by the time the actors had broken up in real life, but according to co-stars, this didn’t affect filming.

9. Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky

The actress and the film director dated for just about one year, but they stayed friends after calling it quits. Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky have hung out several times as exes and speak about each other highly. For example, Lawrence has said, “As cliché as it sounds, we were good to each other. I read stuff all the time that I think would be perfect for Darren. And I think we’ll work together again.”

10. Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz

The pair of actors dated in the early years of the 2000s but later worked together on movies, such as Shrek the Third and Bad Teacher. Although their breakup was complicated, they later mended their friendship, and Cameron Diaz even praised her ex in an interview calling him “a genius comedian” and “clearly talented.”

11. Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis

After their split, Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis worked on rebuilding their friendship and co-parenting their 2 small children. The 2 actors have both gone on to date other people after calling off their engagement, but that doesn’t mean they no longer care about each other.

12. Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey

Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey’s friendship has lasted far longer than their romance, as the 2 have been good friends since breaking up in the late 1990s. Bullock said she always knew they would stay on good terms, even if McConaughey got married, and her words have held true.

Have you stayed friends with any of your exes? Do you think it’s possible to build a friendship after a breakup?