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Mariska Hargitay, known for her 22 seasons on Law & Order: SVU, and Taylor Swift, the world-famous singer, are actually friends. Hargitay even made an epic appearance in Swift’s Bad Blood music video. Learn how Hargitay wished her friend a happy birthday in a unique and heartfelt way.

How did Mariska Hargitay and Taylor Swift first meet?

Taylor Swift and Mariska Hargitay
Taylor Swift and Mariska Hargitay | Dimitrios Kambouris/LP5/Getty Images for TAS

Hargitay revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers that the friendship between herself and Swift sparked when the two first met at the Met Gala. Swift apparently told Hargitay that she liked her show, as she’s apparently an avid fan. The two would meet for a second time at a concert for the singer Ingrid Michaelson, who they both are fans of and friends with. But when the night ended, Hargitay and her husband, Peter Hermann, were unsure how they would get home. Luckily, Swift was there to offer them a ride back to their place.

“And so we said, ‘Oh my god, how are we getting home?’ And then she was like a little angel that goes, ‘Oh do you guys need a ride?’ And I was like, ‘Oh no why?’ And then she drove us home and that was the end of it.”

Later on, Hargitay received a text from Swift asking if she wanted to be in her Bad Blood video, so it looks like these two have become good friends since their first encounter.

Hargitay wished Swift a happy birthday in a really unique way

Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay | Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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‘Law & Order: SVU’: Mariska Hargitay Reveals How She Wants the Series To Conclude For Olivia Benson

Swift actually has a cat named after Hargitay’s character on SVU. Detective Olivia Benson is a Scottish Fold that Swift got back in 2014. She even has another Scottish Fold as well named after Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy. Plus, she has one more cat named Benjamin Button, named after the iconic movie about the character’s life.

But the cat getting all the love in Hargitay’s latest post is the one named after her SVU character. In April of this year, Swift posted an iconic image of Olivia Benson, her cat, sitting on her legs and leaning back. The cat almost appears to be posing for the camera.

“Captain Olivia Benson off duty like-,” Swift captioned the post on Instagram.

Swift’s birthday was on December 13, and she turned 31. Hargitay decided to wish her friend a happy birthday in a really unique way with two special posts on her social media. In one, she used the same image of the cat named after her in a cute happy birthday post to the singer and captioned it with, “Happy Birthday @taylorswift love, us.”

But Hargitay actually shared another post commemorating the special day as well. In the image, Swift appears to be kissing Hargitay’s cheek in the black and white photo. “Happy Birthday @taylorswift We love you #evermore,” Hargitay captioned the post on Instagram.

The friendship between Mariska Hargitay and Taylor Swift is alive and well. Hargitay wished the singer a happy birthday with two unique posts, and it’s truly a sweet sentiment.