The A-list children you didn’t realise were friends

Never mind the Hollywood bromances and gal-pal squads we know and love – there’s a new generation of surprising friendships brewing in the A-list world, and it starts with their kids.

From Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy hanging out with Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter Apple to Harper Beckham taking on big sister duties to Eva Longoria’s son Santi – these pint-sized celebrities are becoming fast friends. And naturally, the playdates and hangouts are every bit as glam as their parents’ red-carpet lives.

Who’s best friends with whom? Here’s a look at the next wave of star-studded friendships you didn’t see coming.

The son and daughter of Today TV royalty Dylan Dreyer and Hoda Kotb are fast friends, if their mothers’ Instagram feeds are anything to go by. The two-year-olds were pictured deep in conversation at the beach. Dylan captured the moment in a sweet post, captioned: “Shouldn’t all days be this happy? Calvin and Haley catching up on old times…”

Kim Kardashian’s eldest daughter is well-known for her all-star friendship group, which includes Selena Gomez’s half-sister Gracie. Also often attending hangouts with North is Jessica Simpson’s daughter Maxwell, whom she met while playing basketball on a team that was coached by Jessica’s husband, Eric Johnson.

The trio were spotted out in New York for North’s 11th birthday party in June this year, sporting matching t-shirts, checked pyjama bottoms and pink crocs. They enjoyed pizzas and a shopping trip together.

North’s birthday parties are already legendary. Case in point: her ninth birthday bash – for which Gracie, Maxwell and other close friends including Penelope Disick were flown to Wyoming to attend ‘Camp North’, where the girls participated in fun events like zip-lining, archery and watersports.

Given that Drew Barrymore introduced Jimmy Fallon to his now-wife, it would make sense that their families are tight-knit.

Drew refers to the talk show host as ‘Uncle Jimmy’, even telling PEOPLE that her kids “get sad” if they miss a chance to see him.

“Our babies play with each other … they’re pals,” Jimmy revealed on an episode of The Tonight Show.

Having met while filming Cruel Intentions in 1999, actresses Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar have formed a long friendship that was solidified when both mums welcomed sons in September 2012, born just one week apart and sharing the same middle name – James.

 “Reese’s son and my son are best friends,” Sarah told Entertainment Tonight. She also revealed that the celebrity mums often carpool for their kids.

Apple and Blue Ivy are two very famous children with even more famous parents – Apple is the daughter of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Blue Ivy calls rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyoncé Dad and Mom.
Over the years, the pair have been pictured at Disneyland, attending the Superbowl – where, naturally, they each had a parent performing in the form of Coldplay and Beyoncé – and Blue Ivy made an appearance at Apple’s 12th birthday party.

Beyoncé’s eldest daughter is also close to Mariah Carey’s twins, Moroccan and Monroe. The kids often head out on playdates together, and Mariah says that the families get along “great”.
When asked about Bey on Watch What Happens Live, Mariah replied: “This is not the first time we met darling. We’re friends. I think she is one of the most talented women out there and I just love her.”

The youngest Beckham has a close relationship with her godmother, Eva Longoria, who welcomed baby Santiago with her husband, Mexican businessman José Bastón, in 2018.
Harper has been pictured stepping into honorary big sister duties with Santiago, who is a few years younger than she is.
Zachary and Elijah John, and Gideon and Harper Harris
As well as going on double dates with their spouses together, singer Elton John and actor Neil Patrick Harris take annual holidays with their young families. Both Hollywood stars welcomed their children via surrogate at similar times in 2010, so have lots to bond over as their sons grow up at the same time.
Neil’s husband wrote of one of the trips via Instagram: “We are beyond lucky to have such wonderful friends in our lives. We have spent seven summers with these fantastic and generous men. The years get better and better as our kids become closer and closer. Traditions are the best.”

Despite the very public nature of their parents’ relationship and subsequent divorce, Jennifer Lopez’s daughter Emme and Ben Affleck’s child Fin have remained close friends.
They have been spotted out and about on several occasions, including a day out shopping in Los Angeles and joking around on the street in Brentwood as they recreated the boombox scene from the movie Say Anything. Emme also supported Fin at their school play.

While these friendships of celebrity children are firmly established, others are just starting to meet – thanks to a little help from their famous parents. These pint-sized star kids might be too young to officially call each other friends just yet, but with parents setting up playdates, who knows where these early introductions might lead?
When Meghan Trainor’s son Riley attended music classes, the toddler was joined by Mandy Moore’s son Gus, Ashley Tisdale’s daughter Jupiter and Hilary Duff’s daughter Mae. If these three tots grow up to be friends, we predict a new band formation.
The combination of singing genes from High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale, alongside Mandy Moore’s incredible Tangled solo and a throwback to Hilary Duff’s Lizzie Maguire days would spell a recipe for musical success.

In the TV world, actress Amy Schumer and TV presenter Andy Cohen’s sons have always found a way to hang out, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Watch What Happens Live, both stars brought their boys out to have a virtual playdate live on air.
Andy said: “Amy, I count your son Gene as one of Ben’s only friends his own age, and sadly our playdates have been halted since the quarantine.”
Amy replied that Gene “misses Ben so much”. Hopefully, the adorable tots were able to hang out more after the pandemic.
Gene isn’t the only one of Ben’s friends, as the little one also counts presenter Ryan Seacrest’s daughter Zena as a pal.

RnB singer Ciara and tennis star Serena Williams had an all-girls get-together when they both happened to be in Cannes at the same time. The pals reunited for a poolside play date with their daughters, Sienna Princess and Alexis Olympia.
In the sweet video shared to Ciara’s Instagram, the cute pair waved at the camera while their mothers held them in the water.
“What are the chances that we get to link up with our baby girls in Cannes, France?” Ciara later told Entertainment Tonight. “And it’s funny because we both spent a lot of time around each other when we were pregnant, carrying our girls, but we never got to get them together. And so when we were in Cannes, it was like our first time getting our girls together.”

Malcolm Mulaney and Lyla Golding might only be two-year-olds now, but they’re sure to become best friends in the future. X-Men: Apocalypse star Olivia Munn and Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding had a sweet playdate with the two newborns back in 2022 – no doubt the first of many.