Timeline of Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Gillies' friendship explored

Ariana Grande has come a long way in the entertainment industry ever since she started out as a 15-year-old. And Elizabeth Gillies is one of the few friends that has stuck with her since 2008.

Gillies and the we can't be friends singer first met on the sets of 13 - the Broadway musical in which they were both cast. After the show concluded in 2009, both Grande and Gillies were cast in Nickelodeon's Victorious. Gillies played Jade West on the show, while Ariana was the red-haired Cat Valentine.

Ever since their early acting days, both Grande and Gillies have remained close friends, dressing up together for Halloween, taking vacations together, and being constantly present on each others' social media handles.

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Elizabeth Gillies referred to Ariana Grande as her "sister" in 2015

Elizabeth Gillies was a part of Ariana Grande's two major acting gigs before the singer-songwriter moved on to pursue music, which is probably when the girls first became close. During their time on Nickelodeon's Victorious, the duo had also recorded and performed a song together, called Give It Up.

When the two-time Grammy winner released her debut studio album - Yours Truly - Gillies made a cameo appearance in the music video for its third single, Right There, featuring Big Sean. In the video, both friends are seen putting on makeup in front of a mirror.

Following the album, Ariana Grande released her first EP - Christmas Kisses - in December 2013. Gillies also featured in one of the four tracks on the EP, titled Santa Baby.

In 2015, when People magazine interviewed Elizabeth Gillies and asked about her relationship with her Victorious co-star, Ariana Grande, Gillies responded:

"I think she’s busier than I am! She’s in Europe now, but we’re totally close. She’s like blood to me, she’s like my sister. So unless we have a massive falling out, nothing will be happening there. [Laughs] We lived together, I’ve known her since what feels like the beginning of time, but really it’s been seven years since all this started."

When the subject of both Grande and Gillies working together in the Broadway and then on Victorious was brought up, Elizabeth said:

"We can’t get away from each other! And we did an animated show together, we did voiceovers on this show for Nickelodeon together. We really can’t escape each other."

In 2018, when Ariana Grande's thank u, next was released, Gillies was a part of its music video as well. The video drew references from the 2000s classic Mean Girls, and has amassed over 812 million views on YouTube in the last five years.

In 2019, when the Side to Side singer was on her Sweetener world tour, Elizabeth appeared as a special guest in one of her shows in November. Together, the duo performed their classic Give It Up live in an Atlanta show. Ariana Grande invited her friend on stage by calling her her "best friend for really long time" and "the baddest b**** in the world".

In 2021, when Grande got married to her now ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, Gillies was on the guest list but couldn't make it. Later, on an episode of Watch What Happens Live! show, the actress revealed the reason behind her absence, saying:

"I could not get off of work to go to her wedding because we would have to be cleared for, like, seven days to fly. So, not only could I not tell anybody, but I also couldn’t even ask for the day off and I couldn’t get the day off"

Despite her absence, Gillies and Grande have continued to hang out together. In the music video for her 2020 track with Justin Bieber - stuck with U - a clip of Elizabeth with her husband, Michael Corcoran is also featured.

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For Halloween 2022, Gillies and Grande wore costumes and recreated scenes from Best In Show

Like most friends, Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Gillies prepped for Halloween 2022 by getting joint costumes. The friends paid homage to the 2000 Jennifer Coolidge-starrer mockumentary - Best In Show.

Gillies dressed up as Christy Cummings (played by Jane Lynch), while Grande showed up as her partner, Sherri Ann Cabot (played by Jennifer Coolidge). The following year, they were also captured in joint costumes from 1995-thriller, Showgirls. Grande was Nomi Malone, while Gillie was Cristal Connors. Perhaps the best-friend duo will bedazzle their fans with another joint costume dress-up at Halloween this year.