Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas are celebrating a friendship that spans nearly two decades with matching tattoos inspired by the beloved animated film that first brought them together.
The longtime friends shared a joint Instagram post on May 29, revealing coordinated tattoos based on the characters they voiced in the English-language version of Studio Ghibli's “Ponyo.”
© FilmMagicThe touching tribute immediately sparked nostalgia among fans who remember the pair's childhood collaboration, and even wondered if their friendship could grow into something more.
Cyrus, 26, voiced Ponyo, while Jonas, 25, lent his voice to Sōsuke in the English dub of the acclaimed animated film. Originally released in Japan in 2008 and in the United States in 2009, “Ponyo” became a defining project for both young stars.
The duo captioned their Instagram post with a line that holds special significance to fans of the movie: "ポニョ、宗介が好き," which translates to "Ponyo loves Sosuke." The matching tattoos feature black outlined illustrations of Ponyo and Sōsuke facing each other nose to nose.
Several images from the post documented the tattoo experience, including shots of Cyrus and Jonas getting inked in an outdoor setup and posing together afterward. One particularly sweet photo showed the pair sitting side by side on a couch, with Cyrus wrapping an arm around Jonas as he leaned comfortably on her shoulder.
Despite recurring romance rumors, Cyrus and Jonas have never dated. Earlier this year, however, Cyrus surprised fans when she candidly admitted she once had a major crush on her "Ponyo" co-star. "Younger me thought Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas was gonna be the IT FUTURE couple," the commenter wrote. "They even did ‘Ponyo’ together as kids."
© WireImageCyrus responded with an enthusiastic confession: "oh i was in loooovvveee with frankie. during ponyo and on tour w our siblings it was ONNNN," she wrote.
The childhood connection between the Cyrus and Jonas families dates back to the Disney Channel era. Noah's sister, Miley Cyrus, toured with Frankie Jonas' older brothers, Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas, during the hugely successful 2007-2008 “Best of Both Worlds Tour.” At the time, Miley performed as both herself and Hannah Montana, while the Jonas Brothers served as the opening act. Miley and Nick Jonas dated during their Disney era.
© FilmMagicIn 2025, Noah released her sophomore album “I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me” and reflected on her personal growth in an interview with PEOPLE. "A lot of my career has been the journey of finding myself again," she said.
After overcoming addiction struggles, the singer shared that she has developed a stronger sense of identity and purpose. "Now I know my sense of self, and I know what I want to write about and who I want to connect to," Cyrus explained. "I'm at a place in my life where I don't think that people really know this part of who I am, because there have been so many different variations of myself 'cause I was just growing up, and I was changing. But I made it out on a really positive side of, I think, a really dark time that I was going through."
© Getty ImagesFrankie has also been candid about his own journey with addiction and mental health. In 2023, he stepped further into the music spotlight by releasing his debut EP, “Sewer Rat.”
