20 Former Couples Who Prove You Can Be Friends With an Ex

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced their plans to divorce back in July 2015, but since then, they've set quite an impressive example of maintaining an amicable relationship for the sake of their three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. They've been spotted on multiple outings together, embarked on family vacations, and have made some insightful, candid, and glowing statements about each other in the press; Jen herself even admitted that she and Ben are "great friends," adding, "We are definitely a modern family."

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom announced in October 2013 that they had separated after three years of marriage and also revealed that they had been broken up for a few months. The couple began dating in 2007 and tied the knot in July 2010. Their son, Flynn, was born the following year. Since making their split public, Miranda and Orlando have been spotted out in NYC together smiling, chatting, and even exchanging quick kisses on the cheek. When a reporter asked Orlando if he was still friends with his ex, he said, "We're not friends — we're family."

Orlando cooked up a romance with singer Katy Perry in February, while Miranda got engaged to Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel in July.

Another couple that split but kept things civil is Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie — the pair announced their separation in January 2014 after three years of marriage. Though their official statement said that they "remain best friends and will continue to be in each other's lives," it's pretty impressive how close they've managed to stay. Hilary and Mike have been seen out and about with their son Luca in LA, and enjoyed a sweet park day together just days before announcing the breakup. The couple even stirred up rumors of a reconciliation when they went out together for Halloween later that year, but in February 2016, their divorce was officially finalized.

Just days after the announcement, Mike and Hilary took their little boy on a family vacation to Hawaii. Hilary opened up about their relationship to Ellen DeGeneres, saying, "We have such a great kid. And we're both so obsessed with him. We are good friends and we laugh a lot. And we have a great communication and we share pictures when one is not with Luca. He's great, we are great, and we keep on trucking." They sparked more romance rumors in May when they were photographed sharing a kiss after spending the day with their son, though it was later revealed that Hilary was "casually dating" her trainer, Jason Walsh.

Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet were married from 1987 to 1993 and had one daughter together, actress Zoë Kravitz. Lisa has since married Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa, and the couple has two children. Zoë has spoken out about her parent's close friendship, saying that her parents, "have so much love for each other," and that Lenny and her stepfather "get along really well." Lisa and Lenny have been spotted out and about together in LA, but most recently, they arrived at the Met Gala together and posed for sweet photos with Zoë inside the event. The ladies were also on hand for Lenny's concert in NYC days later and Zoë shared a cute family snap on Instagram, writing, "My loves. My makers."

Dexter stars Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter fell in love on the set and married in 2008. Soon after their divorce was finalized in December 2011, the pair was photographed enjoying the LA sunset together, sparking rumors that they had rekindled their romance. Both stars denied a reunion, and Jennifer told Entertainment Weekly that year, "He is and always will be one of my best friends in the world. And just because the marriage ended doesn't mean the love isn't still there." Michael and Jennifer continued to film and promote Dexter together until the series ended in September 2013. They've both since moved on to other partners; Michael tied the knot with girlfriend Morgan Macgregor in March 2016, and Jennifer married musician Seth Avett in May, several months after welcoming their first child.

Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy got engaged in April 2011 and welcomed their son, Bingham, that July. After nearly three years, the couple called off their engagement, and in December 2014, announcing that despite the split, "they remain very close friends and committed coparents." They were spotted together in LA just days later, and headed to Aspen together for Kate's annual family holiday trip. Most recently, the exes spent the holidays together, which Kate documented on Instagram with the caption, "ExMas."

Bruce Willis and Demi Moore may go down in history as the most congenial exes in Hollywood! The couple tied the knot in 1987 and divorced in 2000, immediately deciding that they would continue to coparent their three daughters, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. They remained so close that rumors persisted that they would remarry. Since their split, the pair has supported each other through ups and downs — Bruce famously attended Demi's 2005 wedding to Ashton Kutcher, and the blended family often hit the red carpet together with Bruce and his model wife, Emma Heming. Bruce was also reported to be the driving force behind Demi's February 2013 rehab stay, and the exes have since been seen checking out their oldest daughter Rumer's performances at The Sayers Club in Hollywood. They were also audience fixtures during Rumer's run on Dancing With the Stars and in Broadway's Chicago.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who split in 2010 after nearly a decade of marriage, have been incredibly loving and supportive of each other since parting ways. They met on the set of Scream in the '90s and were all smiles and hugs while promoting the horror film's fourth installment in 2011. David and Courteney maintain a close friendship as parents to their daughter, Coco, as well as a business relationship — they still own the company that they created together in 2004, Coquette Productions.

According to a recent interview, David and Courteney are closer than ever. David said, "It really was a goal of ours to not make it a fight, to really support each other and although we'd grown apart to stay connected, to stay friends, to still love each other." He added, "I still obviously feel so blessed that I met her and that we have a child together and that she's in my life. She's still one of my closest, greatest friends." Courteney has also expressed her happiness for David and his new wife Christina McLarty, who welcomed a baby boy together before tying the knot in April 2015.

Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson called it quits in July 2016 after a decade of dating, and when you've spent that much time together, it can be hard not to remain friends. Just days after their split was announced, the pair was spotted out and about together in LA, having an amicable conversation while picking up a bottle of wine. A couple of weeks later, they were seen sharing a sweet hug as Joshua dropped Diane off at LAX airport — and we all that's only something you'd do for a friend.

Sean Penn and Madonna tied the knot in 1985 and quickly became nicknamed the "Poison Penns" for their constant spats and violent outbursts against the press. The relationship itself wasn't without its controversy — Sean was sentenced to 60 days in jail after an altercation with a paparazzo in 1987 and was charged with felony domestic assault after striking Madonna and sending her to an LA hospital. After ending their famously tumultuous marriage in 1989, Sean went on to marry actress Robin Wright while Madonna found love with Guy Ritchie. Both unions ended, and sources close to Madonna were reportedly hoping that she and Sean would reunite for real, saying, "He will always be the love of her life." Sean showed up to support his ex-wife the screening of her short film Secret Project Revolution in September 2013.

Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz called it quits in 2006 after almost four years of dating. Not long after breaking up, the two hit the red carpet to promote Shrek the Third together, in which they both voiced characters. In addition to their animated reunion, Justin and Cameron teamed up again to play love interests in 2011's Bad Teacher (they even filmed a few steamy scenes). About working with her ex-boyfriend, Cameron told Us Weekly, "Justin and I have always had a good laugh together, and there really was no one else who was more perfect for this part," adding, "It really wasn't a big deal, we had a great time and did the job, and we do what all actors do afterward: We all go our separate ways. We'll all come back together for the premiere." Cameron married Benji Madden in January 2015, and Justin and wife Jessica Biel welcomed their first son, Silas, just a few months later.

Hearts were broken when The Vampire Diaries stars Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder broke up in May 2013 after dating for three years, but fortunately for fans, the two have managed to remain close friends — so close, in fact, that early reports had them giving their romance another chance.

Ian and Nina have made sure to show their mutual love for each other on social media since their split, and they often take to Twitter to congratulate and support each other. The duo reunited to accept the People's Choice Award for favorite onscreen chemistry in January 2014 and shared a sweet kiss onstage, and Ian later tweeted to Nina on her birthday, saying, "Happy Birthday @ninadobrev !!! The world loves you! We all do ;)" Nina has since left The Vampire Diaries, but after Ian tied the knot with Nikki Reed in April 2015, Nina commented on their nuptials, saying, "When I heard about the wedding, I thought it was beautiful. They look happy and I am happy, and so I don't see why there should be a problem with that . . . Of course, we're on a teen drama show, everyone's going to look for drama. I just ignore it."

After 22 years of marriage, Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) and Kris Jenner announced their separation in October 2013. In a joint statement, the couple said that they were "living separately" and "much happier this way." In addition to being parents to daughters Kendall and Kylie together, Bruce and Kris each have four kids from prior relationships.

The two have remained close since their breakup; though things got rocky for them after Caitlyn revealed her transition in Vanity Fair's June 2015 issue and Kris was unhappy with parts of her interview. Time seems to have healed all as both women have come together for the good of their family, from celebrating daughter Kylie's 18th birthday to pairing up to support Kendall's big night at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2015.

Another member of the Kardashian clan, eldest sister Kourtney, called off her relationship with Scott Disick in July 2015. The couple dated for 10 years and share three children, sons Mason and Reign and daughter Penelope. The two have managed to stay close for the sake of their little ones, despite Scott's struggles with alcoholism and depression, as documented on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Kourtney and Scott spend holidays together with the rest of their blended family and are often at home with their kids — in an interview with Cosmopolitan in September 2016, Kourtney admitted, "We definitely tried for a long time, but relationships are exhausting! Being able to focus on the kids and me right now is good. We say to each other all the time, 'I'm the coolest ex-girlfriend/baby mama you could ever ask for!'"

After seven years of marriage, Reese Witherspoon filed for divorce from then-husband Ryan Phillippe in 2007. Since they parted ways, the couple has made a concerted effort to maintain a friendship for the sake of their children, Ava and Deacon — Ryan and Reese, who married Jim Toth in 2011, are often seen together at their kids' birthday parties and sports games. They were also spotted spending the day out and about with now 16-year-old Ava in 2015.

Ryan has spoken about their commitment to staying amicable for their little ones, saying that he and Reese "have done a really good job at keeping things peaceable and completely focused on" their kids, and revealed their primary parenting goal: "That's been a core element of our parenting, keeping them aware. Neither of us grew up particularly privileged. Our kids are now, so it's important to keep them mindful and I've got to say we've done that job."

Another great example of a couple that worked and played together is Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki, who dated secretly for almost two years while filming The Big Bang Theory. They didn't reveal their romance until calling it quits in 2010 and have both since moved on to new relationships, even as they continue to star opposite each other (as husband and wife!) on the CBS show. Kaley married tennis player Ryan Sweeting in January 2014; at the time of her engagement, Johnny told reporters that he was "very, very happy for her," adding, "She's very happy, which makes me terribly happy."

Though Kaley and Ryan called it quits in September 2015, she and Johnny put their friendship on display at the People's Choice Awards in January 2016. Rumors that they were back together began to swirl, though Johnny is currently dating a blonde bombshell named Ariella Nicole and Kaley is dating equestrian Karl Cook.

There's tons of history between legendary rocker Mick Jagger and his first wife, Bianca, beginning with their Saint-Tropez wedding in 1971. Bianca was four months pregnant with the couple's only child, daughter Jade, who was born later that year. In 1978, Bianca filed for divorce on the grounds of Mick's adultery with model Jerry Hall (who later became his second wife). Regarding the split, Bianca is reported to have said "My marriage ended on my wedding day."

Cut to a handful of years later, and the former couple — whose '70s romance is still a source of fashion inspiration — are close friends. In 1986, Bianca told Vanity Fair that her ex-husband has "a wonderful sense of humor that I can understand no matter what," before quipping, "I mean, he could be stabbing me in the back, but he can make me laugh while he does it." At a London event in June 2013, Mick was flanked by Bianca and his girlfriend, the late fashion designer L'Wren Scott.

It wasn't an easy road for Heidi Klum and Seal to find harmony after their divorce in 2012. After seven years of marriage and three kids together, the couple hit a rough patch when Heidi began dating her bodyguard, Martin Kristen. Seal spoke out about the new relationship to TMZ, saying that he wished his ex would have "shown a little more class" and waited until the couple separated before "deciding to fornicate with the help." Yikes. Soon after Seal's statement, Heidi released one of her own, saying, "I cherish all of the great memories Seal and I created together over the years. My priority has and continues to be protecting and providing for our children."

Despite some initial strife, it seems like Heidi and Seal are back on track with their goal of keeping it cool for their kids' sake. The exes gave a glimpse of their good-natured relationship when, in November 2015, they were spotted kissing goodbye after their son Johan's football game.