Chris Meloni shares new photos with Mariska Hargitay and their families to celebrate the children’s graduation

Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni have a lot to be proud of this month.

The families of the stars of “Law & Order: SVU” and “Law & Order: Organized Crime” will have a graduate in 2024, and they recently came together to recognize their children’s achievements.

On June 10, Meloni took to Instagram to congratulate his 23-year-old daughter Sophia, who just graduated from college, and Hargitay’s son August, who recently finished his high school career. In addition to August, Hargitay has two other children, Amaya and Andrew, with her husband Peter Hermann.

“Graduates,” the 63-year-old captioned his post. “Hugs.”

The proud father shared several photos from the celebration, including one of the graduates posing side by side. In the snap, Sophia grins while August holds up a peace sign.

Hargitay, Sophia’s godmother, beams with pride in another photo, where Sophia holds the actor’s face while her co-star Peter Scanavino stands behind her.

Another “Law & Order” star attended the soirée: Isabel Gillies, who played Meloni’s wife on screen 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 has a 20-year-old son named Dante.

The actor’s fans shared their reactions in the comments section, with one writing: “OMG! I love this!! How can these babies be so grown up??”

“Calm down my heart 😍 Congratulations to the graduates!!,” commented another.

One Instagram user responded: “Congratulations!!!!!! Literally the best hangout spot for family and friends.”

Meloni later followed up his post with another that featured three videos of him and Hargitay dancing to the “Law & Order” theme song playing on the piano behind them.

“…always at work,” he wrote under the post.

Meloni and Hargitay’s friendship dates back to the late ’90s, when they first met at an “SVU” audition.

“From the second we met, bells were ringing. We knew we would be a huge force in each other’s lives. He was intense and volatile, but also funny,” Hargitay told TV Insider in 2018.

When Sophia was born in 2001, Meloni and his wife named Hargitay her godmother.

“The birth of his first child and being introduced to his amazing, solid relationship with his wife before I had that myself – I think Chris and Sherman played a really big role for me in seeing this really stable couple that loved each other,” Hargitay told People in 2021.

When Meloni left “SVU” in 2011, Hargitay was “devastated,” 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.”

When Meloni presented Hargitay with a Glamour Award in 2021, he said the following about his longtime friend, according to the magazine: “She has a lot of energy and a great personality. So tonight I say this: Radiant. Charming. Funny. Generous. Elegant. Outrageous. Honest. Appreciative. Inclusive. Direct. Lively. That’s my favorite word; it comes from Latin and means to live. And that’s exactly what she does with great passion, every day, with everyone she interacts with, be it friends, family, strangers or obligations.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com.