11 Celebrities Who Played Matchmaker For Their Famous Friends
12/22/2023 09:00 AM
"She knew the whole time that we were supposed to be together."
Sometimes the best way to meet your perfect match is through your BFF! For celebrities, dating in Hollywood can be difficult -- so they decide to recruit the help of their famous friends. It turns out, many of these stars who have stepped in to play cupid have actually helped make some lasting love connections! Whether they made an introduction or set up a blind date, these celebs might need to consider a career in matchmaking.
Find out which stars are responsible for some of our favorite celebrity couples…
Chloë Grace Moretz gets all the credit for introducing her friend Meghan Trainor to her now-husband Daryl Sabara. Looking back, Meghan says that when she was single, she asked Chloë if she had any friends she could set her up with and Daryl immediately came to mind.
"I asked every person I met since day one, 'Find me a boyfriend!' Like, especially new friends too. Chloë Grace Moretz is a friend of mine, and day one of meeting her, I was like, 'You know anybody that I could date? Or love? Whatever.' And she's like, 'I know the nicest guy in the world, Daryl, and you should meet him.' I was like, 'Daryl? Okay,'" Meghan said on Chelsea Handler's Netflix show.
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Before Dominic Cooper and James Corden made it big, they were roommates in a tiny apartment they shared. The pair got pretty close while living together and Dominic ended up introducing James to his now-wife Julia Carey, who was an old friend of his from school. The trio are still close to this day and Dominic says he's now a godparent to the couple's son.
Nicole Richie was allegedly a big part of how her brother-in-law Benji Madden got linked up with his wife Cameron Diaz. Back when Cameron and Benji first began dating, Nicole implied she was the one to connect the happy couple.
"I approve of anything that's going to make Benj happy. I am a devoted sister-in-law, and I am happy for anyone that's happy and I want everyone to be surrounded with love," Nicole said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live. "I'm going to take responsibility for everything!"
Rita Ora and Taika Waititi were friends for years before a romance blossomed between them and it turns out that Robert Pattinson was the one who made the initial introduction. During an interview with Vogue Australia, the couple confirmed that Robert introduced them during a barbecue Taika was hosting in Los Angeles. Then in 2021, when the pair were both in Sydney, Australia, they finally took the next step in their relationship.
5. Ed Sheeran
Courteney Cox wouldn't have met her boyfriend Johnny McDaid if it weren't for Ed Sheeran. At the time, Ed was staying at Courteney's house and asked if he could have some friends over. During the star-studded party, Ed ended up introducing Johnny to Courteney.
"Ed [Sheeran] said, "Can I have some friends over this week?' and I said of course. He invited Johnny, Gary Lightbody, both of them from Snow Patrol, Taylor Swift," Courteney said on The Howard Stern Show. "I had a fun group anyway: Sacha Baron Cohen, Isla Fisher, Jennifer [Aniston] was there, it was just one of these fun weekends... and I remember seeing Johnny and going, 'Oh wow, he's really intense, he's got those eyes.' And he was playing the piano and I thought, 'He's really, really handsome.'"
6. Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell was pretty persistent when she was trying to play matchmaker for her friends, actress Jaime King and director Kyle Newman. While Jaime had initially met Kyle on the set of Fanboys, Kristen helped reintroduce them a few months later. Jaime says that despite not knowing Kristen well, the actress would call her and try to get them to all hang out.
"Kristen Bell I didn't know at all but she kept calling me in my hotel room and I was very confused because I'm like, 'She's really friendly. She's a really nice girl but I don't know her at all and she keeps inviting me to hang out!'" Jaime told E! News. "But she was trying [to get us together.] She knew the whole time that we were supposed to be together."
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Katherine Schwarzenegger's mother Maria Shriver is rumored to be the one who introduced her daughter to her now-husband Chris Pratt. The couple, who started dating in 2018, have said that they met at church thanks to "a lot of kismet and a lot of connections." While the couple haven't confirmed that it was Maria who paired them together, Katherine has shared that matchmaking it one of Maria's favorite things to do.
"You know who would love to find you somebody? My mother," Katherine told Drew Barrymore during an appearance on her show in 2023. "It's like her pride in life. Loves, loves to be matchmaker, she will do it."
When news surfaced that Sofia Vergara was single for the first time in years, Joe Manganiello took the chance to make his move. He reached out to her Modern Family co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson to see if he could play matchmaker for the pair.
"The day that I sent the press release [announcing the breakup], Joe immediately contacted Jesse Tyler Ferguson, like, 'Please, please, please tell her I want her number.' And I'm like, 'Jesse, no, he's too handsome,'" Sofia told Vanity Fair. "Then, after two days of Jesse trying to convince me, I'm like, 'Okay, give him my number.' I'm thinking, I'm in New Orleans shooting, and he's in L.A. Nothing's going to happen. But we started talking a lot, and then he showed up in New Orleans. Since then we've been inseparable."
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Former basketball player Brandon Jennings was the one who brought Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson together. Looking back during the Keeping Up With The Kardashians' 10-year anniversary special, Khloé explained that Brandon helped set them up on a blind date.
"I was put on a blind date with Tristan and that's how [we met]. Brandon Jennings, who is a basketball player and a friend of mine and Malika [Haqq]'s, was like, 'You're such a good girl, I want to introduce you to someone.' I was at the Bel-Air hotel, and [Tristan] came to the dinner. I didn't want to go on a blind date, so Brandon kind of ambushed the blind date. We just connected."
10. Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff played matchmaker for his friends Alfred Molina and Jennifer Lee. In photos from the couple's wedding, Jennifer revealed that Jonathan was the one who introduced her to the actor. He even ended up being the officiant when they tied the knot!
"This beautiful, generous soul is the reason Fred and I met. We owe him the world," Jennifer wrote on Instagram.
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11. Billy Porter
Leslie Odom Jr. has Billy Porter to thank for helping to introduce him to his wife Nicolette Robinson. It all started when Billy was Leslie's professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Then, Billy later asked Leslie to be an assistant director on one of his shows in New York. During auditions for the production, Leslie was introduced to Nicolette.
"The thought that crossed my head was, 'I don't know if this girl's gonna get this part but this business is so small, I'm absolutely going to run into this girl again. She's just too talented.' As fate would have it, she got another part in the show and it was my job as assistant director to make sure she felt welcome and a part of the family. We started hanging out after the show and we're still hanging out!" Billy said on Live With Kelly and Ryan.
