Female BFFs in pop culture

By Wonderwall.com Editors 5:41am PST, Jan 27, 2021

Time flies! It's been 45 years since we were first introduced to the adorable titular besties on "Laverne & Shirley." In honor of the classic sitcom's milestone anniversary on Jan. 27, 2021, Wonderwall.com rounded up our favorite female BFFs in pop culture… starting with these charming roomies. On "Laverne and Shirley," Penny Marshall's Laverne and Cindy Williams' Shirley were so close that they lived together, worked together and rode the same bicycle. How many real-life best friends get along that well? (Perhaps their friendship was strengthened by their mutual desire to make their dreams come true doing it their way.) Keep reading to see which other gal pals made the cut…

OK, name a more iconic high school duo… we'll wait! There was so much that the WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" got right, but one aspect of the long-running series we particularly loved was the best friendship between Buffy and Willow. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan played their roles to absolute perfection, and their characters always had each other's backs. From relationship woes to constantly saving the world together, this Slayer and Wiccan demonstrated how having a best friend makes the ups and downs of life all the more manageable.

"Game of Thrones" co-stars Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams met on the set of the hit HBO series back in 2011. They quickly became besties and soon were practically inseparable — Maisie was even Sophie's maid of honor when she married the Jonas Brothers' Joe Jonas in June 2019. "We were pretty much best friends from that second on," Sophie told Rolling Stone of what happened after they were introduced. "I thought Sophie was the coolest thing I'd ever seen," added Maisie. "I get why they do chemistry reads, because when it's right, it's so right. Like, we're best friends. And they could see that all those years ago, and it must have been real magic watching these two girls have the best time together."

Sure, "Friends" was about more than just Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), but their shared apartment was the center of all the best action on the hit '90s sitcom. Best friends since high school, laid-back Rachel was the perfect foil to high-strung Monica. Their on-screen chemistry was no fluke: Courteney and Jennifer are besties in real life too — Jen is even the godmother of Court's daughter, Coco.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler first connected on the Chicago improv comedy scene in the early '90s. After years of performing together, Tina started writing for "Saturday Night Live." Not long after, she convinced Amy to join the show. "I was so happy," Tina wrote in her book "Bossypants" of Amy's "SNL" debut. "Weirdly, I remember thinking, 'My friend is here! My friend is here!' Even though things had been going great for me at the show, with Amy there, I felt less alone." The real-life besties went on to work together on the sketch comedy show's Weekend Update segment and co-starred in "Mean Girls," "Baby Mama" and "Sisters." They've also killed it hosting the Golden Globes together.

Sure, "Sex and the City" chronicled Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda and Carrie's attempts to find love (and have sex!) in New York City. But if the hit HBO series starring Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker taught us anything, it's that our true soulmates are our girlfriends. The women's affection for each other was the real love story on "SATC," after all!

After Susan Sarandon's Louise killed a man for messing with Geena Davis's Thelma in "Thelma & Louise," the duo hit the road to Mexico in a '66 Thunderbird — and got into even more trouble along the way. When faced with the possibility of a future behind bars, the BFFs decided they'd rather die together than head to prison apart. Would you drive off a cliff for your best friend? Yeah, didn't think so!

After co-starring in the 2014 film "Wild" together, Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern developed a close bond. Fast-forward to 2017 and the duo had joined forces on HBO's "Big Little Lies," the critically acclaimed drama series on which they both starred. "You know someone is your favorite person when you've done a day of press, listened to yourself ad nauseam, listened to them tell every story, and when it ends, it's like, 'Are we going to eat something?'" Laura explained to Vanity Fair of promoting "Wild" with Reese. The actresses even remained in touch amidst the coronavirus pandemic, posting photos of their socially distanced walks together.

Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz moved in the same Hollywood circles when they were coming up in the business but didn't truly connect until Drew asked Cameron to co-star with her in the 2000 flick "Charlie's Angels," which she also produced. They've been besties ever since! "She's the most loyal, fierce, fun, cozy friend," Drew gushed of Cameron to Good Housekeeping in 2016. "We have incredible honesty with each other and we work hard on our lives and our friendship."

As if! 1995's "Clueless" is iconic for several reasons, and Cher's best friendship with Dionne is a major one. Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash — who played the two Beverly Hills teens who were "both named after great singers that now do infomercials" — showed audiences what it meant to be fabulous, fashionable and the envy of all! "She's my friend because we both know what it's like to have people be jealous of us," Cher said of Dionne. We love these two.

Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley brought Eddy Monsoon and Patsy Stone to life on the BBC sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous" in 1992 and the chain-smoking fashionistas finally got the Hollywood treatment with 2016's "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie." The excessive publicist and the blond beehived fashion director remain one of pop culture's most iconic duos!

People always warn of the complications that arise from mixing business and pleasure, but those people have obviously never seen an episode of "I Love Lucy." Lucille Ball's Lucy and Vivian Vance's Ethel were BFFs even though Ethel was Lucy's landlord. (Ironically, Lucille and Vivian didn't always get along — their friendship grew the longer they worked together, though, and they eventually became close friends.)

Whether it was because they both came from broken homes or because they both loved silly hats, Mayim Bialik's Blossom and Jenna Von Oÿ's Six were besties for life on TV's "Blossom."

What could bind two friends together more than a life-altering secret? Darren Star's "Younger," which debuted in 2015, chronicles the personal and professional lives of Liza Miller (Sutton Foster), who harbors a major secret: While she may seem like a 20-something assistant, she's actually a 40-year-old mother and divorcee. On her first day working for Empirical Press, she befriends Kelsey Peters (Hilary Duff), an actual 20-something who vows to take Liza under her wing. As the show progresses, the bond between these two women strengthens and becomes the heart of the series.

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and her journalist gal pal Gayle King are so close that there have been constant rumors over the years that they were, ahem, a little more than friends. The duo first connected when they were in their 20s, and though their lives have changed dramatically since then, they're still as close as ever.

In 2004, Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini became close friends thanks to an introduction facilitated by J.Lo's now-ex, singer Marc Anthony. "It was one of those instant-chemistry things where you just feel like, 'I love this person. I love being around this person. This person makes me laugh,'" Jennifer told "Entertainment Tonight" of meeting Leah. "She's cool and we also have very similar upbringings. That's why we work together." The besties took their friendship to the big screen in the 2018 movie "Second Act."

Men come and go, but sidekicks are forever! Xena (Lucy Lawless) would've been lost without her perky sidekick and rumored lover Gabrielle (Renée O'Connor) on "Xena: Warrior Princess." The duo kicked some major mythological butt over the years.

Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough became besties after they were set up by their hairstylist, Riawna Capri. "She's like, 'You guys have to meet,'" the dancer-actress recalled to E! News in 2013. "We've just been like joined — connected at the hip," she continued. No kidding! The duo rarely spend birthdays or holidays apart. Nina even briefly romanced Julianne's brother Derek Hough in 2013.

Upon watching the first episode of ABC's short-lived teen drama "My So-Called Live," our lives were forever changed. Not only did we pay witness to Claire Danes' incredible acting prowess (she was just 14 at the time!), but we fell in love with how honest and true to life the show's characters felt. What we particularly enjoyed? Seeing Angela Chase (Claire) and Rayanne Graff's (A.J. Langer) relationship develop. Despite being total opposites — Rayanne was a carefree party girl headed down a dangerous path while Angela was a good girl with a desire to rebel — they manage to create a pretty epic bond. Of course, they experienced quite a few bumps in their friendship but their disparate personalities reminded us of how high school brings people from all walks of life together.

Nerd girls Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) bonded for life while being targeted by bullies during their high school years. Their friendship was tested when they tried — and failed miserably! — to impress their former classmates at their 10-year reunion in 1997's "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion." Fortunately, as we now know, an interpretive dance to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" can heal all wounds.

Busy Philipps' Audrey Liddell may have been besties with Katie Holmes' Joey Potter on "Dawson's Creek," but in real life, it's another co-star, Michelle Williams, who can claim Busy as her BFF. The duo have actually been tight since before Busy joined the teen drama in 2001. "We were set up to be friends by a mutual friend, who thought that we would really love each other. And we did. We fell instantly in love," Busy told The Wall Street Journal in 2012. "It was right before I got ['Dawson's Creek']. We shot that television show in a small town in North Carolina, so it's a very heightened experience when you're away from all of your actual friends and family. We became each other's everything in that time." And they still are! Busy frequently accompanies Michelle to award shows, they vacation together, and the "Cougar Town" actress even introduced her BFF to Jason Segel, whom Michelle dated in 2012.

Another pair of Hollywood besties we can't help but love? Mandy Moore and Minka Kelly! The pair have been extra-tight since 2007. Minka, of course, was in attendance during Mandy's bachelorette party weekend in 2018 before the "This Is Us" star married Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWoww" Farley bonded over their mutual love for human gorillas, tanning and binge drinking on MTV's "Jersey Shore." It's been years since the duo left Seaside Heights, but their friendship is just as strong as ever: They even capitalized on their friendship to get their own spinoff reality show.

"Cagney & Lacey" taught us that being a female police detective in New York City is much better if you have an equally tough female partner who's got your back. Despite their differences — Sharon Gless' Christine Cagney was totally career-minded while Tyne Daly's Lacey was a family woman — this duo could always be counted on to do just that!

Having a friend who's significantly richer or more talented than you can be a friendship-ending imbalance, but not for the ladies of "Beaches," Barbara Hershey's Hillary Whitney Essex and Bette Midler's CC Bloom. Their friendship survived 30 years of obstacles — from jealousies and a love triangle to failed marriages and career woes.

Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Kelly (Jennie Garth) started off strong as pals on "Beverly Hills, 90210" but eventually became rivals for bad boy Dylan's affection. (Kelly and Dylan may be destined to be together, but seriously, ladies, do we need to tell you that stealing your BFF's man is a no-no?) Fortunately, the duo were given the chance to reconcile on the spinoff series "90210."

Taylor Swift was once known for having an epic squad of gal pals — Selena Gomez, Blake Lively, Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, Lena Dunham and Lorde were just a few of her famous friends. But of all TayTay's besties, the one we loved her with the most was Karlie Kloss. The duo first connected when Taylor performed and Karlie walked the runway during the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Fashionable outings, road trips, adorable at-home date nights and a Vogue cover story soon followed. They even weathered rumors that they were more than friends! But in recent years, the pair seem to have drifted apart.

It's a safe bet that being married to a caveman was a pretty frustrating experience. Fortunately, Wilma Flintstone could confide in neighbor-bestie Betty Rubble when husband Fred lost his temper on "The Flintstones."