5 Messy Celeb Friendship Breakups We Can Learn From

Hollywood has a reputation for short-lived romances — but it's not just romantic entanglements some famous faces struggle to go the distance with. There are plenty of platonic celebrity relationship breakups in Hollywood too, where two besties who may have once even worn matching outfits call it quits.

Take Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz. The two grew close during their time on "One Tree Hill," but as the years went on, gradually grew apart. Lenz addressed the situation on "Call Her Daddy" in 2024, sharing, "I love Hilarie, I have always and will always, and I don't have any problem with her. There have been some bizarre misunderstandings that I really hope we can figure out one day, but I love that girl." The lesson here? Be explicit about what you mean so things can't be misconstrued and, at the first sign of a potential issue, address it before it can snowball and drive you and your pal apart. But Burton and Lenz aren't the only once close friends to have a messy breakup we can learn from.

Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato were close friends for years before they publicly drifted apart. "Selena has always tried to be nice to Demi, but over the last couple of years especially, the both of them have been through personal struggles. In the past, Demi felt like Selena wasn't always there for her and that the friendship wasn't reciprocated," a source told Us Weekly in 2020. This friendship breakdown shows us how important it is to make time for close friends, especially those we've known for years. One-sided relationships can leave the person making the effort feel under-appreciated and forgotten. Being intentional with your communication is one of the best ways to keep your adult friendships alive for life.

Lovato and Gomez's relationship also seemed hindered by jealousy, which is a subtle sign of a bad friend. In 2010, after a fan asked Lovato how Gomez was, she responded, "Ask Taylor." The quip appeared to reference Gomez's increasingly close friendship with Taylor Swift and demonstrated how jealousy can drive people apart. To avoid that, counselor Georgina Sturmer recommended sitting down with a friend at the first sign of jealousy to discuss your feelings. "When we harbor jealous feelings and don't share them, we don't give ourselves the opportunity to experience admiration back," Sturmer told Dazed . "You may be surprised when you share feelings of jealousy with your friend, that they are actually jealous of you too." Had "The Princess Protection Program" co-stars talked things out, they may still be great friends today.

Former "The Hills" stars Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag were once the ultimate reality TV besties ... until a boyfriend got in the way. The fallout from their once close relationship played out on the MTV series in the late 2000s, and Montag shed more light on what really happened on "Call Her Daddy" in 2021. "She had a boyfriend I didn't like, when she was with Jason [Wahler], and I supported her. That wasn't my job to tell her who to date and who not to. I literally was like, 'I'm your girl, I'm here for you, whoever you're with I just want to support you.'" Montag claimed Conrad wasn't happy when she started dating her now husband Spencer Pratt, and wouldn't support their relationship. Montag recalled telling her, "'What? You are not the friend that I am to you, like why would you do that to me? I can't even believe you're doing this to me right now.'"

As hard as it can be when you don't like a friend's partner, it's imperative not to let them get in the way of a preexisting relationship. Liz Higgins, LMFT-S, founder of Millennial Counseling, recommended to The Knot, "Find a respectful way to explore and share what feels off putting for you about your friend's partner." Be honest with each other — and yourself — about what the issue is. "Explore the root of these insecurities and then openly explore them with your friend, with the clarity and expression that your honesty is meant to help you find ways to support and remain connected to your friend, rather than polarize or grow apart," she said. After all, if their romance ends, they're going to need a shoulder to cry on.

The implosion of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry's friendship hit headlines when the "Mine" singer told Rolling Stone in 2014 she believed her fellow pop star wanted to ruin her tour. Swift — who also has a few red flags in her friendship with Blake Lively – claimed Perry booked one of the dancers she was planning to hit the road with, which she viewed as sabotage. "I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies,'" she said. Swift's take on the drama suggested there was serious competitiveness between them, and they ended up being on the outs for years as a result. However, the singers eventually reconciled, with Perry sharing on "The Kyle & Jackie O Show" five years after Swift's interview, "I realized how much we have in common. And maybe there's only five other people in the world that can have the same type of conversations and understand where we're coming from."

Their reunion reminds us why there's no room for serious competitiveness in friendships and the importance of focusing on our similarities, not differences. That's why couples therapist Dr. Kalanit Ben-Ari suggested nipping competitiveness in the bud via an open and honest talk. "Close and intimate friendships will not only survive these conversations, they can actually become stronger if dealt with in an honest and respectful way," Dr. Ben-Ari told Stylist. "When one shows up with vulnerability, it invites the other to share their own vulnerability, and when we share and connect this way, we transform, grow, and deepen our connection," they said.

Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton are another pair of reality TV darlings who fell out in a major way. Their friendship ended in 2005 after being close since they were children, with Hilton saying in a statement (via People), "It's no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it." Only, the two did say more — over 20 years later. Speaking on "Call Her Daddy" in 2024 after becoming friends again, Hilton explained they let gossip and embellished media stories get in the way of their relationship. "Back then, the media was just so toxic and they loved starting feuds between people. It was mostly the media just spinning things and creating drama that didn't exist," she said [34:36].

Though most friendships won't be affected by tabloid hearsay, gossip from other friends could be a factor. If it feels like your bond is imploding and third parties are involved, it's imperative to address the situation immediately and one-on-one with your bestie to avoid a potentially detrimental game of Chinese whispers.

Fortunately, the drama actually helped the "Candidly Nicole" star later in life. Richie, who's had a stunning transformation, admitted she was upset about the time she lost with Hilton, but noted, "It has really helped me in my communicating at this stage of my life ... it's so important to have check-ins and to be honest and real and tender with the people you love the most."