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From &34;Dawson's Creek&34; to &34;Riverdale,&34; teen shows have created lasting friendships among their stars. Teen TV stars whose friendships went beyond the

From "Dawson's Creek" to "Riverdale," teen shows have created lasting friendships among their stars.

Teen TV stars whose friendships went beyond the screen

From "Dawson's Creek" to "Riverdale," teen shows have created lasting friendships among their stars.

By Jessica Leon

September 21, 2025 8:00 a.m. ET

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It's only natural for teens in their formative years to forge bonds with each other — especially those who costar on TV shows. We sometimes see life imitating art as onscreen besties become real-life besties, as seen with *Dawson's Creek*'s Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps or *Pretty Little Liars*' Shay Mitchell and Ashley Benson. These offscreen friendships can even impact our viewing of the TV shows themselves, helping us believe in the close relationships between their respective characters even more.

Here are our picks for some of the most notable teen show costars whose friendship extended to their real lives.**

Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams and Busy Phillips at DÔEN's annual Planned Parenthood Fundraiser held at La Dolce Vita on Dec. 6, 2023.

Roger Kisby/WWD via Getty

On *Dawson's Creek*,* *Busy Philipps' Audrey and Michelle Williams' Jen made quick and close friends, and the same can be said for the actresses in real life. Whether it's hitting the red carpet together or supporting each other's careers, Philipps and Williams always have each other's back. During EW's reunion with the *Dawson's Creek *cast in 2018, Philipps revealed that she once almost got into a bar fight while defending Williams' honor, and the rest is history. *—Jessica Leon*

Tyler Posey and Dylan O'Brien

Tyler Posey and Dylan O'Brien at the FANDOM Party during Comic-Con International 2017 at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on July 20, 2017.

Araya Diaz/Getty

Tyler Posey and Dylan O'Brien perfectly embodied the unbreakable friendship between Scott and Stiles on MTV's *Teen Wolf*. Their onscreen relationship was more of a brotherhood, rather than one between best friends. The two never let each other down, whether that was Stiles helping Scott control his wolf abilities or Scott refusing to give up on Stiles when he was taken over by the Void kitsune spirit. *—J.L.*

Elizabeth Gillies and Ariana Grande

Elizabeth Gillies and Ariana Grande at Project Angel Food's 2011 Divine Design Gala at the Beverly Hilton on Dec. 7, 2011.

Angela Weiss/Getty

We have *Victorious *to thank for introducing the world to Ariana Grande, but that's not the only thing that came out of the Nickelodeon show. In addition to Grande's rise to fame, she also came out of the show with a best friend. Elizabeth Gilles (who played Jade) regularly makes appearances on Grande's Instagram, and can even be seen in the "thank u, next" music video. The highlight of this friendship has to be when the two took the stage together. They recreated "Give It Up" during Grande's *Sweetener* tour and the crowd was left speechless. *—J.L.*

Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, and Camila Mendes

*Riverdale*'s Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper, and Cheryl Blossom may not have always seen eye-to-eye, but the actresses who portrayed the trio are always supporting one another. On-screen they were put through a lot of unexpected challenges (murderous fathers being the main one), while off-screen they make it known they can take on anything. A bonus factor from this trio is getting to see the Halloween costumes they come up with and the endless YouTube content they bring fans. *—J.L.*

Alisha Boe and Brandon Flynn

Alisha Boe and Brandon Flynn on May 1, 2021, in Joshua Tree, Calif.

Vivien Killilea/Getty

Justin Foley and Jessica Davis didn't have an instant friendship on *13 Reasons Why*, but that didn't stop fans from loving the evolution of their individual character arcs, as well as their joint story. Though their friendship (and romantic relationship) had countless troubles, there was an inexplicable amount of love at its core. Alisha Boe and Brandon Flynn brought that love into real life, with Flynn declaring Boe "one of the closest people in [his] life" in this touching Instagram post. *—J.L.*

Kit Connor and Joe Locke

Kit Connor and Joe Locke at the GQ Men of the Year Awards on Nov. 16, 2022.

Dave Benett/Getty

Kit Connor and Joe Locke have also taken their undeniable chemistry offscreen, too. While the pair play boyfriends Nick (Connor) and Charlie (Locke) on *Heartstopper*, they have a close friendship in real life, relying on each other as their respective stars have risen. "Joe's really been such a lifesaver in so many ways for me; as a support system and a friend to go through everything with," Connor told* British GQ* in 2023. *—Kevin Jacobsen***

Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth

Jennie Garth's *Beverly Hills, 90210 *character Kelly had her ups and downs when it came to relationships. (We don't need to relive the Kelly-Brenda-Dylan drama.) However, that didn't stop Garth from gaining a life-long friendship. Garth and Tori Spelling hang out regularly and often refer to each other as their "partner in crime for life." Without this friendship, we may not have ever gotten the short-lived *Beverly Hills, 90210 *reboot. *—J.L.*

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Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford

Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick — who played best friends Nate and Chuck, respectively, on *Gossip Girl —* lived together as roommates in New York during the show's production. On a 2024 episode of the *Call Her Daddy* podcast, Crawford recalled his raucous days with Westwick, with their apartment frequently serving as a party hub. "You (would've) thought the Joker lived there; it was insane. I'm not even kidding," Crawford said of Westwick's messiness as a roommate. "I shouldn't be calling him out like this, but I love him to death." *—K.J.***

Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder

*The Vampire Diaries *fandom was constantly plagued with the question: Team Stefan or Team Damon? Lucky for us, there's no need to pick between the two in real life. Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder played brothers on the CW show, and now they are business partners. In 2021, the two officially released their bourbon line, Brother's Bond Bourbon, proving their bond will last a lifetime. *—J.L.*

Shay Mitchell and Ashley Benson

Emily Fields and Hanna Marin always had an extremely close friendship on *Pretty Little Liars*,* *and that relationship continued off-screen into Shay Mitchell and Ashley Benson's lives. They were not only best friends but partners in crime, and it showed, from helping Hanna with her dance moves to Emily confiding in Hanna when it came to her sexuality. If you're ever looking for some Mitchell/Benson content, just look at Mitchell's TikTok account and you're sure to find something good. *—J.L.*

James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti

Stephen Colletti made his first *One Tree Hill *appearance as Chase Adams in season 4 and quickly won the heart of Sophia Bush's Brooke Davis. However, it turns out that off-screen he won the real heart of James Lafferty. Not only are the two still friends but they are also co-collaborators. The duo co-created, co-write, and costar on *Everyone Is Doing Great*, a dark comedy about what happens to a group of performers after a successful TV show comes to an end. *—J.L.*

KJ Apa and Charles Melton

KJ Apa and Charles Melton at the Legends And Stars: Whitecaps FC Charity Alumni match at BC Place on Sept. 16, 2017.

Andrew Chin/Getty

Archie and Reggie had their fair share of arguments (including fist fights) on screen. But when KJ Apa and Charles Melton weren't on the job, they were hanging out with smiles on their faces. Not only does Melton carry Apa across red carpets, but he also called Apa "roommate" for a time. *—J.L.*

Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin

Whether they're playing mermaids in *H20 *or vampires/werewolves/hybrids on *The Vampire Diaries *and *The Originals*, one thing is for sure: Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin's friendship always takes over the screen. By the end of *The Originals*,* *Hayley and Rebekah were more like family than anything. The development of that relationship came naturally due to Holt and Tonkin's chemistry, which was simply unmatched. Even though their friendship was made in their early teens, they're still going strong. The duo even goes on vacations together. *—J.L.*

Tracy Nelson and Claudette Wells

Tracy Nelson and Claudette Wells on 'Square Pegs'. Everett Collection

Tracy Nelson and Claudette Wells didn't just play best friends on *Square Pegs, *they became besties in real life and have been since the show's end. Nelson and Wells attribute their mutual hatred for their show wigs as their bonding moment on set. For these two, forming a connection through hate led to a decades-long friendship. *—J.L.*

Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp

Facing monsters together in the Upside Down will bond you for life. Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp developed a fast friendship during the filming of *Stranger Things* and have publicly expressed their enduring (platonic) love for each other on multiple occasions. "We said if we're not married by 40, we'll get married together," Brown told MTV News in 2022. "Because we'd be good roomies." Brown did, however, get married to model/actor Jake Bongiovi in 2024. *—K.J.*

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