Top 10 TV BFFs Who Hated Each Other in Real Life
Sometimes friends fight. But not this much! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top Ten TV Best Friends Who Hated Each Other in Real Life.
For this list, we’ll be looking actors who portrayed best friends on screen, but actually hated each other behind the scenes. For the purposes of this list, we will only be including best friends, so romantic couples will not be included.
#10: Isaiah Washington & Patrick Dempsey
“Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-)
You know a relationship is fraught when it comes to physical blows! Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened between Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey on the set of “Grey’s Anatomy.” According to Isaiah, Patrick was repeatedly late to the set, and this led to an intense argument between the two. During the argument, Washington used a homophobic slur, and the fight came to physical blows. Washington was later fired from the show due to his use of the homophobic slur, although he later found work on “The 100” playing Thelonious Jaha.
#9: Zendaya & Bella Thorne
“Shake It Up” (2010-13)
Zendaya and Bella Thorne never came to physical blows like Dempsey and Washington, but their relationship was still rocky throughout the first season of “Shake It Up.” Thorne told J-14 that she and Zendaya were “forced to compete” against each other during the first season of the show and that it made things “very awkward” between them. She didn’t go into too many details, so we’re not exactly sure what she means by being “forced to compete” with Zendaya. But either way, the two sat down and talked through their differences, ending the hostility and becoming real life best friends in the process.
#8: Bea Arthur & Betty White
“The Golden Girls” (1985-92)
The Real Life Walter White
It’s hard to imagine the adorable Betty White having an enemy, but she REALLY did not get along with her “Golden Girls” co-star Bea Arthur. Their feud has become a well-known piece of pop culture, with several interviews throughout the years discussing their animosity towards each other. Bea Arthur’s son told Closer that Bea “carried the attitude that it was fun to have somebody to be angry at,” and that she directed this hatred towards Betty White. White also admitted to The Village Voice that Bea didn’t like her and found her to be “a pain in the neck.” While details are scarce, many believe that their unfriendliness came from personality clashes and vast differences in acting style.
#7: Julianna Margulies & Archie Panjabi
“The Good Wife” (2009-16)
About midway into “The Good Wife’s” run, a strange thing started happening – best friends Kalinda and Alicia weren’t spending time together. And when it came time to film Kalinda’s final scene with Alicia, the showmakers were forced to use visual effects trickery to make it appear like they were standing in the same room. Clearly something had gone on behind the scenes: Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi were no longer acting together. Critics brought this up to Panjabi at a Television Critics Association conference, but she only gave a vague response, saying that she wanted the drama that occurred on set to stay on set. We can respect that decision, but still, it’s frustrating not knowing the deets!
#6: Ariana Grande & Jennette McCurdy
“Sam & Cat” (2013-14)
It’s amazing what money can do to a friendship. “Sam & Cat” collapsed in 2014 after Jennette McCurdy realized that Ariana Grande was being paid much more than she was, despite being a co-lead. The series was put on hiatus and McCurdy tried renegotiating her contract, but the entire thing instead fell apart when Nickelodeon canceled the series. Later, Jennette wrote a scathing essay about toxic friendships, and many readers assumed that the essay was aimed at Ariana. Jennette went on to release a web series called “What’s Next for Sarah?” which featured the ditzy, self-centered Gloriana, who bore a striking resemblance to Ariana Grande. Most viewers connected those dots...
#5: Lea Michele & Naya Rivera
“Glee” (2009-15)
Top 10 TV Couples Who HATED Each Other in Real Life
From the sounds of things, “Glee” was just as dramatic behind the camera as it was in front. Rumors of a feud between Lea Michele and Naya Rivera had persisted on the internet, leading Naya to address them in her autobiography “Sorry Not Sorry”. She admits that their friendship broke down throughout the series, mostly because “Lea…didn’t like sharing the spotlight.” As you may remember, Santana became much more pronounced and important in the later seasons of the show. She also stated that Lea had trouble digesting criticism and “assumed [Naya] was bitching about her.” It all culminated in a messy working relationship during season six, as Lea refused to talk to Naya off screen.
#4: Blake Lively & Leighton Meester
“Gossip Girl” (2007-12)
According to the show’s executive producer and writer, Joshua Safran, Blake Lively and Leighton Meester were never friends. In his opinion their personalities were just too different, as Blake was lively and personable, whereas Leighton was quiet and reserved. And while they never fought or got into heated arguments, they were never particularly close, despite their on-screen interactions. In Safran’s own words, “Blake and Leighton were not friends”, while “a source” later told Perez Hilton that Blake and Leighton do not speak and “continue to stay as far away from each other as possible.” So, yeah, that doesn’t sound very good.
#3: Lucille Ball & Vivian Vance
“The Lucy Show” (1962-68)
Following the iconic “I Love Lucy,” both Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance starred in “The Lucy Show,” an equally successful sitcom that ran from 1962 to 1968. Their relationship was relatively harmonious... that is until the show’s third season, when Vivian began to grow tired of her weekly cross-country commute, and her ever-deteriorating working relationship with Lucille Ball. When she then requested more creative control, opportunities, and more money her request was denied. Feeling betrayed, Vance left both the series and Ball behind. But the actresses would sporadically reunite throughout the years, until Vance died of bone cancer in 1979.
#2: Shannen Doherty & Jennie Garth
“Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990-2000)
Shannen Doherty is probably one of the most infamous actresses in the industry, and her reputation certainly precedes her. She and Jennie Garth did not get along while filming “Beverly Hills, 90210,” and Garth told E! News that “there were times [they] wanted to claw each other’s eyes out.” Tori Spelling also recounts a time that they had come to physical blows and needed to be separated. In fact, their relationship grew so toxic that Spelling had her father, executive producer Aaron Spelling, write Shannen Doherty off the show. Luckily, the actresses have settled their differences and are now good friends.
Before we see who had the most animosity towards each other, here are a few honorable mentions.
Teri Hatcher & Everyone Else
“Desperate Housewives” (2004-12)
Shannen Doherty & Alyssa Milano
“Charmed” (1998-2006)
Dominic Monaghan & Matthew Fox
“Lost” (2004-10)
Debby Ryan & Skai Jackson
“Jessie” (2011-15)
#1: Sarah Jessica Parker & Kim Cattrall
“Sex and the City” (1998-2004)
Top 10 Grossest but Hilarious Sarah Squirm Skits on SNL
IRL Carrie and Samantha were enemies from day one. According to sources, Sarah didn’t like that Kim was getting all the attention, while the cast quickly gravitated towards Sarah, leaving Kim alone and without an ally. Sarah and Kim eventually just stopped speaking to each other, and Kim was even reluctant to do the movie due to her antagonistic relationship with Sarah. When Kim’s brother passed away in 2018, Sarah offered her condolences, but Kim wasn’t having any of it. She went for Sarah’s throat on Instagram, writing, “You are not my family. You are not my friend. Stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your nice girl persona.” So, they’re still not friends, then?
