Toxic Soap Opera Friendships

It’s always nice to see a friendship develop in the land of daytime drama. Whether two characters are bonded through family ties, similar circumstances, or come together through a wild adventure, a friendship can offer a unique element to any storyline. That is, unless there’s one character who is using the other, or the two are notorious schemers! As such, Fame 10 takes a closer look at some toxic friendships in recent soap opera history.

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12. Y&R – Sharon & Grace

Grace entered the land of Genoa City in the late ‘90s as Sharon’s best friend. But was she? She not only kept it a secret that Cassie was her BFF’s real daughter (for about a year), but Grace also schemed and successfully seduced Sharon’s husband at the time, Nick. With “friends” like her, who needs enemies? Funny enough, the two are real-life BFFs!

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11. GH – Elizabeth & Nikolas

Elizabeth, Lucky, Nikolas and Emily were like four peas in a pod… that is, until Emily passed. Then, things got more than a little sticky. In 2009, Liz and Nik had an affair, placing her son Aiden’s paternity in question and ripping apart her marriage to Lucky. While they’ve remained “friends” over the years, anytime Liz and Nik have gotten too close, it’s been toxic. In 2014, they schemed to keep Jake Doe’s (then thought to be Jason, but actually Drew Cain) true identity a secret, and when Nik ended up “alive” in 2019/20, Cassadine used their friendship to try and oust Ava from his life.

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10. DOOL – Gwen & Ava

Kristen brought these two together, in the hopes that they could help her escape from jail. They were (somewhat) forced to do this and established a bond along the way. While it may be a stretch to call them besties, they have become friends. What do these two have in common other than their ties to DiMera? Scheming, lying and crossing all sorts of lines to get exactly what they want!

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9. Y&R – Jack & Adam

As the old saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Nothing brings two soap opera characters closer than their disdain for another person, which is exactly how Jack and Adam became friends in 2013. Adam felt undermined by his father (as per usual), and Jack was looking to get even with the Moustache for the umpteenth time. Not the best way to build a friendship, but this is the land of daytime drama!

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8. GH – Brad & Britt

Britt and Brad are darling little GH besties now, but back in the day, they wreaked a ton of havoc. In many ways, Westbourne bullied Cooper to do her bidding and scheming. Yet Brad also had a manipulative streak in him that made diving into Britt’s plots and plans fairly easy. Both characters have changed significantly over time, but in their earlier years, they were quite hated in the land of Port Charles and had a toxic friendship.

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7. Y&R – Nate & Ashland

There’s nothing toxic about Nate Hastings. While he’s made mistakes in the past, his intentions have always been good. What makes this friendship hit the list is Ashland. Locke used Hastings and his doctor status to further manipulate the Newman family and Victoria. While Nate wised up, thank goodness, he was still a pawn in Ashland’s game.

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6. DOOL – Xander, Orpheus & Clyde

Can these three really be called friends? Well, in the fall of 2016 this jail trio came together and rocked Salem to its core. They decided to exact massive revenge on the citizens of the little town by escaping Statesville and causing a ton of chaos. They terrorized Theresa Donovan, Nicole Walker, The Johnsons, and others before they were stopped.

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5. GH – Valentin & Peter

Valentin’s main goal in life, for a long while, was to bring Peter August down. Prior to that, however, the two were more than a little chummy. In fact, Cassadine was much like a mentor to Peter during his younger years, teaching him the wonderful ways of manipulation and scheming. Thankfully, Valentin straighten up, but the same can’t be said for Peter, who tried in vain to do better at one point.

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4. Y&R – Theo and Sally

Birds of a feather flock together, right? Theo and Sally were old friends from their days in New York, and when they reunited in Genoa City, they naturally gravitated toward each other. Nothing like a good old-fashioned scheme to reconnect a friendship! So, when Theo needed someone to spy on the Abbotts, Sally came to his rescue. In return, Theo told Spectra all about Summer Newman’s weaknesses, so that Sally could snag her rival’s job.

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3. DOOL – Ava & Kristen

As Ava was the daughter of a mob boss, and Kristen was the daughter of Stefano DiMera, one might think these two ladies bonded over their controlling fathers! Maybe there’s a little to that, but Vitali and DiMera actually met in 2015 at a church (of all places) and instantly connected. Vitali “passed away” in 2016, but when Kristen resurfaced in 2017 (thanks to Dr. Rolfe’s “serum”), it was implied that Ava could be alive, too. The ladies reunited in 2020 and have been pulling off stunts ever since.

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2. Y&R – Chelsea & Chloe

Chelsea and Chloe are great friends. In many ways, they are a fine example of two soap opera characters who always “have each other’s backs”. However, they land on this list because of a toxic scheme they pulled back in 2021. No one could really blame Lawson for faking her progress after landing in a wheelchair, thanks to Adam. But was it really necessary to poison (and almost kill) Rey Rosales? Plus, Chelsea’s decision to drag Chloe into the entire thing to cover for her was beyond toxic.

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1. DOOL – Bonnie & Hattie

What are the chances that both Dr. Marlena Evans and Adrienne Kiriakis would have doppelgangers? Well, this is the land of Salem, so of course it makes sense! While Bonnie Lockhart has transformed her life, thanks to Justin, she was once a scheming, manipulative and toxic criminal. So, it’s no wonder that she and Hattie clicked during a prison stint. While these characters offered comedic relief on DOOL, they were also quite nasty at times, adding drama, chaos, and wreaking havoc in storylines!