Amicable breakups are possible, even in Hollywood. Plenty of famous former couples have developed friendships after they decided to end their romances—even though some of those romances ended in messy ways. But maybe their relationship troubles prove that these pairs are better off as platonic buddies. You be the judge: here's a look at 11 sets of celebrity exes who are still friends, then and now.
1 Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt: Then
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt started dating in 1998, married in 2000, and split up in 2005—all of which was breathlessly covered by the tabloids.
1 Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt: Now
Despite Pitt falling for Angelina Jolie while he and Aniston were still together, the two exes have stayed friends. Fans were especially delighted when the two winners (her for The Morning Show, him for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) were photographed congratulating each other backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last year.
RELATED: 15 Celebrity Couple Breakups You're Probably Still Mourning.
2 Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin: Then
Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin were married for 10 years and welcomed two children together. Then, in 2014, they decided that their relationship had run its course and announced they were "consciously uncoupling."
2 Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin: Now
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Their romantic relationship may be over, but Paltrow and Martin seem not only to be chill co-parents, but also genuine pals. They even enjoy the occasional double date with their new partners: Glee producer Brad Falchuk for Paltrow and Dakota Johnson for Martin.
3 Demi Moore and Bruce Willis: Then
Actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis were an "it" couple of the '80s and '90s, but their marriage ended before the turn of the millennium.
RELATED: 31 Celebrity Couples from the '80s You've Totally Forgotten About.
3 Demi Moore and Bruce Willis: Now
In addition to sharing their three daughters, Willis and Moore share a strong friendship. Among their greatest hits: Moore was the extra special guest when Comedy Central roasted the Die Hard star; Willis attended the party for his ex-wife's candid memoir, though he figured prominently in it; and they even quarantined together with their kids amid COVID.
4 Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony: Then
Jennifer Lopez and fellow singer Marc Anthony tied the knot in 2004 after just six months of dating. They welcomed twins Max and Emme before splitting in 2011.
4 Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony: Now
The former pair got to be on such good terms that there were rumors they were getting back together. But, ultimately, Anthony and Lopez just became collaborators, buddies, and co-parents. They even recorded an album and performed as a duo years after their divorce was finalized.
5 Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber: Then
Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber never did the marriage thing, but they were together for over a decade and have two children.
5 Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber: Now
Despite calling it quits in 2016, the former couple appear to be as close as ever. They've been spotted out and about in New York City, both with and without their kids, and—like Willis and Moore—quarantined as a family unit when the pandemic hit.
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6 Bridget Moynahan and Tom Brady: Then
It wasn't always good for exes Bridget Moynahan and Tom Brady, especially since she became pregnant with their child right as their two-year relationship was ending and Brady was starting to move on with now-wife Gisele Bündchen.
6 Bridget Moynahan and Tom Brady: Now
Fortunately, the celebs have managed to create a happy, blended family. Brady uses his Instagram to shout out Moynahan on birthdays and holidays, and she's even become good friends with Bündchen.
RELATED: 18 Photos of Celebrity Couples When They First Got Together.
7 Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz: Then
Actor Lisa Bonet and rock star Lenny Kravitz were married from 1987 to 1993, but that wasn't the end of the road for them.
7 Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz: Now
The two are forever tied because of their daughter, actor Zoë Kravitz, but you get the feeling that they'd still hang out together even if they hadn't had a kid. As an extension of their friendship, Lenny is also besties with Bonet's current husband, Aquaman star Jason Momoa.
"People can't believe how tight Jason and I are, or how tight I still am with Zoë's mom, how we all relate," the musician told Men's Health in 2020. "We just do it because that's what you do. You let love rule, right?"
RELATED: 25 Celebrity Kids Who Look Just Like Their Parents.
8 Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder: Then
Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder fell in love on the set of their supernatural drama, The Vampire Diaries, and dated for three years.
8 Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder: Now
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The exes had to get to a good place pretty quickly after their split, since they were still working together on the series. But their bond goes even deeper than that. Dobrev has been known to hang out with Somerhalder and his wife, Twilight actor Nikki Reed. During a 2019 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, she rejected the idea that them having a friendship is in any way "weird."
"Why can't everyone be friends? I think they have a beautiful baby, and they are happy and so am I," she said, per People. "What's bad about that? I don't see any problem with that."
9 Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen: Then
Underworld's Kate Beckinsale and Good Omens star Michael Sheen were once pretty serious, dating from 1995 to 2003 and having a daughter together.
9 Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen: Now
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Today, "serious" is probably not a word anyone would use to describe whatever they have going on. The exes have stayed close, raising daughter Lily Mo Seen together and posting a lot of silly photos on social media. Beckinsale also became good pals with comedian Sarah Silverman when she started dating Sheen. She even sent Silverman a bag of M&Ms emblazoned with Sheen's face after the two of them broke up.
RELATED: See Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen's Daughter All Grown Up.
10 Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson: Then
Didn't know these two were ever a couple? Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren not only dated for a few years after meeting on 1981 film Excalibur, they also lived together.
10 Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson: Now
Since neither was particularly famous when the relationship happened, it's not a widely known fact. But the actors looked back on it with humor and fondness during a 2018 appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
"I remember being on the set and standing with Ciarán Hinds as Helen walked towards us dressed in her full Morgana Le Fey costume and we both went, 'Oh f***,'" Neeson said on the talk show (via Vanity Fair). "I was smitten. I think Ciarán was too, but I was very smitten!"
11 Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey: Then
They were pretty coy about it at the time and for a few years after, but Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey dated in the mid '90s after working together on the legal drama A Time to Kill.
11 Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey: Now
In 2003, before he wed Camila Alves, Bullock told Cosmopolitan why she and McConaughey remained platonically close after their breakup.
"There's a great amount of respect and love, I feel very cared for by Matthew," she said. "No matter where he is in his life or where I am in mine—he could be married—I know we would stay close."
For his part, McConaughey has also stood by his friend "Sandy" and was there, along with Hugh Grant and Keanu Reeves, to help present her with the "Decade of Hotness" honor at the Guys Choice Awards in 2014.
"I've worked with you. I've tried to kiss you—successfully and unsuccessfully," he said in his speech, as Alves and Bullock sat next to each other and laughed in the audience. "I've been directed by you—in a short film, and also to the exit door of many bars."
RELATED: 15 Onscreen Couples You Totally Forgot Dated in Real Life.
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