Queer icons and their BFFs that are giving us major friendship goals
From Ru and Michelle to Patrick and Ian, these are the celebrity besties giving us the feels. (Getty/PinkNews)
There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of drama in Hollywood, but there are equally some amazing friendships – especially with LGBT+ stars and their BFFs.
Everyone has that one friend that they can call on when things get tough, and what could be tougher than constantly being in the spotlight? Celebrity friendships are impossible not to love. They’re the relationships that want us to be part of their team and also give us slight envy.
Celebs typically have countless people wanting to be their friends, but there are some iconic duos out there especially with major LGBT+ stars and their BBFs.
Whether they’re celebrating a Hollywood premiere, getting tattoos together or sharing a quick smooch, these dynamic stars are absolute friendship goals.
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart attend the premiere of “Star Trek: Picard” on 15 January 2020 in London, England. (David M Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)
Not only are they arguably two of the best actors England has produced, but Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are also best mates.
In recent years, the national treasures have really flaunted their friendship by frequently sharing a kiss on stage, at premieres or anywhere with a camera. McKellen even took the opportunity to get down on one knee for Stewart at the premiere of Star Trek: Picard in 2020.
According to Stewart, the two became close friends after working together on 2000’s X-Men. Stewart and McKellen had adjoining trailers and would often hang out and drink tea or maybe even “something a little stronger”, the Hollywood Reporter reported.
“And the charm of it was that we found that we had so much in common,” Stewart shared. “And by the way, he married us, my wife and me. He performed the ceremony.”
Elliot Page and Mae Martin
Elliot Page and Mae Martin first met when they were both 19. (Instagram/ elliotpage)
Speaking of everlasting friendship, Elliot Page and Mae Martin are absolute LGBT+ friend goals. The Canadian actors, who are both the same age, have been friends for well over a decade after they met at a bar at age 19.
Martin said Page was filming X-Men when they were a “weird sort-of homeless stoner”. They recalled how they connected through a mutual friend one night, and then “years later Elliot send me a message saying he’d seen my stand up, and then we became friends”.
Last month, Page and Martin honoured their long-standing friendship permanently – with matching coffee cup tattoos. Ugh, just the best!
Halsey and BTS
Halsey and BTS perform during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards on 1 May 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Getty/Ethan Miller)
It’s no secret that BTS and Halsey have a deep friendship. The members of BTS first met Halsey at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards after the singer gifted the group with churros before they performed on stage. And yes, the best way to become someone’s friend is with food – so says Halsey.
Halsey met up with the boy band after their performance in Seoul in 2018, and their friendship went full-circle after they dropped the hit collab music video “Boy With Luv” in 2019.
The musicians have remained close friends with Halsey even posting on Instagram that her “baby is ARMY”. BTS also sent Halsey their love after finding out about the birth of her first baby, Ender Ridley Aydin, in July.
RuPaul and Michelle Visage
Michelle Visage and RuPaul attend the Media’s 2019 PaleyFest LA “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on 17 March 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage)
The titans of Drag Race have been by each other’s sides for decades, and their friendship is just as strong now as when they met in the 1980s. Visage told ET Canada that she first met RuPaul in the club scene in New York City in 1988, but they didn’t start working together until 1996.
She said they’re so close that they can “complete each other’s sentences” and just “get exactly what each other are saying”.
Speaking to Little Mix star Jade Thirwall in an interview with Cosmopolitan, RuPaul described Visage as a “good egg” and “super smart”. Ru added: “I feel bad sometimes on the [Drag Race] panel because we cut up like girlfriends and I don’t want the others to feel left out but we have a natural chemistry together.”
Serena Williams and Colton Haynes
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Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams and LGBT+ actor Colton Haynes have one of those friendships that’s honestly picture-perfect.
Their close bond is well-documented across social media, and the two have dressed up for fun costume parties and supported each other during big life events.
The Teen Wolf and Arrow star shared that he broke down crying after Williams exchanged vows with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, in 2017. He wrote on Instagram that he “cried so hard” that Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Kim Kardashian had to “check on me”. Honestly, we’ve all been there.
Judge Rinder and Benedict Cumberbatch
Robert Rinder – aka Judge Rinder – and actor Benedict Cumberbatch have been friends ever since they went to university together. (David M Benett/Dave Benett/Stefanie Keenan/Getty for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)
At first, the Sherlock star and the gay ITV daytime star might seem like an odd couple. But Robert Rinder and Cumberbatch have been real-life friends for ages.
Cumberbatch told the BBC in 2016 that they met at Manchester University, when Rinder couldn’t do a part in a play and it was Cumberbatch who ended up replacing him.
“We got on very well instantly, and he was so supportive then of me,” Cumberbatch said.
Since then, the pair have been best friends. Cumberbatch officiated at Rinder’s wedding back in 2013, and it all went full circle when Cumberbatch even asked Rinder to be his best man when he got married in 2015.
