Naomi Watts confirms her unlikely friendship with Kim Kardashian with a sweet birthday post after taking a swipe at the reality star several years ago

Naomi Watts is in her Kardashian era.

The British-Australian actress, 56, confirmed her off-screen friendship with Kim Kardashian on Tuesday when she shared a sweet birthday tribute to her co-star.

The screen queen kept her post short and sweet, tagging the reality TV star and shapewear mogul as she shared a photo of the pair cuddling up for a selfie.

‘Congratulations!! @kimkardashian,” Naomi captioned the photo, which Kim reshared to her Instagram Stories today on her 44th birthday.

In the photo, Naomi wore a simple black T-shirt and her blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, while Kim pouted at the camera in a black blazer and tucked a short blonde wig under a baseball cap.

The Hollywood star had one arm around Kim’s shoulders and touched her other arm affectionately as they posed for the photo.

The photo could have recently been taken on the set of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming legal drama, All’s Fair.

Naomi removed the background from the image and could have done this to prevent set secrets from being shared on social media.

Naomi Watts is in her Kardashian era. The British-Australian actress, 56, confirmed her off-screen friendship with Kim Kardashian on Tuesday as she shared a sweet birthday tribute to her co-star

However, upon closer inspection it turns out to be from June, when Naomi and Kim starred in a campaign for Balenciaga called Characters.

For the shoot, Kim traded her long black locks for a Marilyn Monroe-inspired crop as she posed with the Rodeo bag — the same one in the photo Naomi shared on Tuesday.

Kim and Nicole Kidman became official brand ambassadors for Balenciaga in 2024, while Naomi wore one of the label’s designs to this year’s Met Gala.

As high-profile faces of the French luxury fashion house, both Kim and Naomi also attended the Kering Foundation’s annual Caring for Women Dinner in New York during Fashion Week.

Kim recently posted a photo of her and Naomi on the set of their new series All’s Fair starring Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash and Glenn Close

But they didn’t pose for photos together despite sitting close to each other.

The star-studded high fashion extravaganza is led by the chairman and CEO of Kering – the luxury fashion empire made up of Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen.

Kim “made the rounds” at the event according to Vanity Fair, spending time with billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, and actresses Dakota Johnson Viola Davis.

Naomi told the magazine at the time that she had not yet rehearsed any scenes or spoken to Kim, but confirmed that they had met before.

The Emmy-nominated actress spoke glowingly about the Skims founder’s talents at the event, in stark contrast to the vitriolic swipes she made at the Kardashian clan a decade ago.

“I love that she tries different and new things all the time and seems to do really well at many of them, if not all of them,” Naomi told Vanity Fair.

‘I am impressed with her, very impressed. Anyone who works hard deserves great honors. She’s clearly a hard-working woman.’

Fans were very surprised to hear of the two stars’ blossoming bond – likely because Naomi said in 2015 that the Kardashians’ impact on the entertainment industry was “scary.”

She focused on how the culture of reality TV celebrities and celebrity stars had diluted the glamor of Hollywood’s leading ladies.

‘There’s so much focus on celebrities these days; we’re in the Kardashian era and it’s a little scary,” she said.

‘But when you hear that there are ways to purposefully use your celebrity status, you feel good about what you do. When it comes to things you’re passionate about, it’s easy to join in when the invitation comes.”

Lala Anthony, Kim Kardashian, Srah Jessica Parker and Naomi Watts in the front row of the Fendi Spring 2023 fashion show in New York City in September 2022

Of course, at the time, the industry looked down the nose at Kim and her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, and mother Kris Jenner for their red carpet appearances.

Kendall and Kylie were so young and fresh that they were almost unrecognizable.

Times have changed, and so have the Kardashians.

Kim, who wowed audiences with her recent role in American Horror Story, was spotted filming with Naomi in Camarillo, California on Friday.

With her sleek raven hair slicked back and dark sunglasses adding an air of mystery, Kim exuded movie star charisma as she shot scenes with the co-star.

Kim, who wowed audiences with her recent role in American Horror Story, was spotted filming with Naomi in Camarillo, California on Friday

The series, which centers on an all-female law firm, features an all-star cast including Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash and Teyana Taylor.

Kim is an executive producer and her mother Kris Jenner plays one of the divorce lawyers.

For his part, Ryan Murphy seems to be trying to recreate the on-screen magic he conjured in American Horror Story by writing a character “specific to Kim.”

In AHS: Delicate, Kim starred as the devilish PR woman Siobhan. Her Kris Jenner-coded character preyed on an unwitting young actress (Emma Roberts) who signed her unborn baby for an Oscar.

Murphy’s satanic twist on IVF and surrogacy also deeply affected Kim, who gave birth to two of her children with Kanye West through surrogate mothers.

Now that the reality star is looking to highlight her plans to take the bar exam in 2025 and has been cast as a divorce attorney, she may become his new muse.