Chris Meloni shares new photos with Mariska Hargitay and their families to celebrate kids' graduations
Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni have a lot to be proud about this month.
The “Law & Order: SVU” and “Law & Order: Organized Crime” stars each have a 2024 graduate in their families, and they recently got together to commemorate their children's accomplishments.
On June 10, Meloni took to Instagram to share a note of congratulations for his 23-year-old daughter, Sophia, who just finished college, and Hargitay's son August, who recently wrapped up his high school career. Hargitay shares two other children, Amaya and Andrew, in addition to August with husband Peter Hermann.
"Graduates," the 63-year-old captioned his post. "Hugs."
The proud dad shared several photos from the celebration, including one of the graduates posing side by side. In the snapshot, Sophia grins while August holds up a peace sign.
Hargitay, who is Sophia's godmother, beams with pride in another picture that shows Sophia holding the actor's face as her co-star Peter Scanavino stands behind her.
Another “Law & Order” star attended the soirée, Isabel Gillies, who played Meloni's on-screen wife before her character was killed off in Stabler's return episode to the "L&O" universe, "Return of the Prodigal Son," in April 2021.
Meloni tagged both Hargitay and Gillies in his post, which included a selfie of the trio, and added the hashtag #Allthebeautifulwomeninmylife.
In his last photo, Meloni posed with his daughter and wife, Sherman Williams. The couple also share a 20-year-old son named Dante.
The actor's fans shared their reactions in the comments section, with one writing, "Oh my gosh! I love this!! How are these babies so grown up??"
"Be still my heart 😍 congrats to the grads!!" another commented.
One Instagram user penned the following reaction: "Congratulations!!!!!! Literally the best family/Friend hang out."
Meloni later followed up his post with another one featuring three videos of him and Hargitay dancing to the "Law & Order" theme song, which was being played on the piano behind them.
"…always at work," he captioned the post.
Meloni and Hargitay's friendship dates back to the late '90s when they met for the first time at an "SVU" audition.
“From the second we met, bells went off. We knew we were going to be a huge force in each other’s lives. He was intense and mercurial, but also fun,” Hargitay told TV Insider in 2018.
When Sophia was born in 2001, Meloni and his wife named Hargitay as her godmother.
“The birth of his first child and being privy to his amazing, solid relationship with his wife, before I had that for myself — I think that Chris and Sherman played a really big role for me, to see this really stable couple that loved each other,” Hargitay told People in 2021.
When Meloni left "SVU" in 2011, Hargitay was "devastated," as she also told People.
However, the pair remained close friends over the years. Then in 2021, Meloni returned to his roots and starred in his own "Law & Order" spinoff, "Organized Crime."
While presenting Hargitay with a Glamour award in 2021, Meloni shared the following words about his longtime friend, according to the magazine: “She’s got great energy, great personality. So tonight, I say this: Radiant. Charming. Funny. Generous. Elegant. Bawdy. Honest. Appreciative. Inclusive. Direct. Vivacious. That’s my favorite word; it comes from the Latin, to live. Which is what she does with great passion, every day, with everyone that she engages, be they friends, family, strangers, or commitments."
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
