Hollywood is responsible for some of the most entertaining friendships. From Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, there’s never a dull moment. Yet, I can’t help but scratch my head and do a double-take when I think of celebrity friendships that come across as bizarre—for example, Harry Styles and James Corden or Ivanka Trump and Kim Kardashian.
The tabloids have detailed James Corden’s less-than-appropriate behavior in various establishments over the last week. Between his outburst over an omelet at popular, upscale New York restaurant Balthazar and multiple Reddit posts resurfacing, the talk show host has had a rough go of it lately. However, in doing some personal research about Corden’s history of having a lousy attitude toward service workers, I stumbled upon a pop culture reminder: Harry Styles and James Corden are close friends.
After rediscovering this random fact, I went down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out why Styles, who has built his public persona around the trademarked phrase “Treat People With Kindness,” would be friends with Corden considering his poor behavior. Following more contemplation, I realized that Harry Styles and James Corden could be carefully crafting their public personas with the help of an expert PR team. While it’s possible that Harry Styles is a genuinely kind person and lives up to his relatively squeaky-clean reputation, it’s also possible that he has the same bad attitude as Corden behind closed doors.
Another celebrity with a pristine reputation that’s friends with a controversial figure is Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber. The Canadian BFF’s tumultuous friendship has been detailed in the tabloids with various dramas surrounding Hailey Bieber and Shawn Mendes’ short-lived relationship. However, it wasn’t until 2019, when Taylor Swift released information regarding Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, purchasing her masters, that fans began to question Shawn Mendes’ relationship with Justin Bieber, considering the pop singer is friends with Swift and Bieber.
Fans began questioning Mendes’ allegiance and whether his let’s-create-world-peace persona matched who he was behind closed doors. The Canadian star got into hot water again when people also pointed out his friendship with John Mayer, considering Mayer and Swift’s controversial relationship. For those who need a background story about John Mayer, listen to “Dear John” and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” by Taylor Swift.
Kim Kardashian and Ivanka Trump were another peculiar celebrity friendship in the tabloids last week. The two socialites were photographed getting dinner together, and the internet was a little confused, to say the least. While Kim Kardashian visited Ivanka’s father when he was in office to discuss justice reform, the reality star hasn’t been one to speak up about politics. Similar to Harry Styles, Kim could very well have a fabricated public persona and fully support the Trumps behind closed doors.
While it’s hard to determine celebrities’ real personalities without getting to know them in private, the persona they portray to the public is their (and their PR team’s) business.