Barack Obama and Joe Biden built a genuine friendship during their years in the White House, one rooted in trust and mutual loyalty. In 2017, Obama surprised Biden by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. The moment turned emotional fast, with Biden visibly overwhelmed – proof their bond went well beyond politics. | © AP
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill clicked instantly while making 21 Jump Street, then doubled down on that chemistry in the sequel. What started as a buddy-cop act quickly turned into a real off-screen friendship. It got so tight that Tatum’s ex Jenna Dewan once joked she felt like the third wheel whenever they were together. | © Columbia Pictures
Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have been friends for decades, long before late-night desks and viral monologues. Their bond grew out of shared comedy roots and a similar way of looking at politics, media, and power. Even now, their mutual respect is obvious every time they reunite: less rivalry, more old friends picking up where they left off. | © The Late Show with Stephen Colbert / YouTube
Paul Walker and Vin Diesel shared a bond that went far beyond their time on screen. When Walker’s daughter Meadow got married in 2021, Diesel, her godfather and her dad’s closest friend, walked her down the aisle in his place. It was a quiet, deeply personal moment that showed their friendship didn’t end when the cameras stopped. | © 20th Century Studios
Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon built their bromance on shared chaos: silly songs, bad dancing, and a total lack of embarrassment. Timberlake pops up on Fallon’s show so often it feels less like guest appearances and more like hanging out on live TV. The energy is pure goofball friendship, the kind where both guys are clearly having way too much fun to stop. | © The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon / YouTube
Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio finally teamed up on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and the chemistry was instant. Off-screen, they were constantly side by side: arms around each other, whispering, clearly enjoying every second of it. It felt less like a one-off collaboration and more like two movie stars realizing they should’ve done this years earlier. | © Sony Pictures Releasing
Jared Padalecki and Milo Ventimiglia might have played romantic rivals on Gilmore Girls, but real life told a very different story. In 2021, Ventimiglia posted a playful “I heart Dean 4 Ever” sign, and Padalecki instantly fired back with his own “I heart Jess 4 Ever.” The back-and-forth felt less like nostalgia bait and more like two old friends reminding everyone that the bond outlasted the show. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Robert Redford and Paul Newman formed a deep friendship after working together on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969, and it never really faded. Their bond was rooted in shared values, playful humor, and a quiet respect that carried through decades of fame. They stayed close off-screen, too, living near each other, backing meaningful causes, and prioritizing family over Hollywood noise. | © 20th Century Studios
Brad Pitt and George Clooney have been leaning into their bromance for years, often turning it into a running joke. Clooney took it to another level in a parody video where he plastered his room with Pitt posters and made his roommate repeatedly watch Ocean’s Eleven, just to admire Pitt eating on screen. Beneath all the pranks and exaggeration, it’s clear the affection is real, and very mutual. | © Apple TV
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have always talked about each other like brothers, but things took a wild turn in 2023 when McConaughey suggested they might actually be related. During a family trip to Greece, his mom casually told Harrelson, “I knew your dad,” leaving just enough unsaid to spark some serious math and second-guessing. They’ve joked about taking a DNA test ever since, though McConaughey has admitted it’s complicated territory, given how different their relationships were with their fathers. | © HBO
James Franco and Seth Rogen first connected on Freaks and Geeks and went on to define a whole era of comedies together. Over time, that longtime friendship fractured, with Rogen publicly distancing himself following sexual misconduct allegations made against Franco. He later made it clear he regretted earlier comments and jokes, and confirmed he hasn’t worked with Franco in years, saying that decision was very much intentional. | © Sony Pictures Releasing
Prince Harry and Orlando Bloom struck up a friendship after becoming neighbors in Montecito, bonding over the not-so-glamorous reality of constant paparazzi. Harry even talked about it openly on Armchair Expert, crediting Bloom as someone who understands that pressure firsthand. Turns out their worlds had overlapped before too, though Harry was reportedly the one who pushed the friendship forward. | © The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon / YouTube
Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy became close early on after working together at the start of their careers, and the friendship stuck as both rose to superstardom. Years later, things turned even more personal when Lawrence’s daughter Jasmin began dating Murphy’s son Eric, quietly linking the two families. At that point, it stopped being just a Hollywood bromance and started feeling like an extended family affair. | © Universal Pictures
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon grew up a block and a half apart in Boston, back when Affleck was eight and Damon was ten. That childhood bond followed them into adulthood, including a famously broke phase where they even shared a bank account while chasing acting jobs. More than four decades later, their friendship has survived fame, failures, and Hollywood itself, which says just about everything. | © Netflix
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have been playing up a fake feud for years, but underneath the jokes is a real, long-running friendship. They first connected in the late 2000s through Reynolds’ marriage to Scarlett Johansson, who was already a close friend and frequent co-star of Jackman. That bond only deepened on the set of Deadpool & Wolverine, where the teasing finally tipped into full-on bromance territory. | © People / YouTube
Hollywood loves a good bromance, and these feel especially real. Some started on set, others go back decades, but all of them share genuine chemistry that goes way beyond press tours. From inside jokes to lifelong loyalty, these friendships are hard not to root for.
