Zach Braff Denies He Has an AI Girlfriend, Despite Chatbot Dating Rumors

Thanks in part to his return to TV on Scrubs, Zach Braff is back in the news in a way he hasn't been for some time. Now, Zach is batting down rumors that he's dating AI after a blind item started circulating that many people immediately associated him with.

Following all this speculation, as well as Zach's denial, many wanted to better understand what was behind the story. Here's what we know about why some people thought Zach Braff had a chatbot girlfriend.

The speculation that the Scrubs actor was dating AI started when the I Need You Guys podcast revealed that “There is an actor who is currently in a romantic relationship with his AI chatbot. And brings the chatbot with him places."

The podcast added that the actor was "as near A-list as TV can get you” and “there is a self-awareness, but in kinda a ‘yeah sorry you’re not on board with the future.’”

People almost immediately began to speculate that the celebrity in question was Zach Braff, although it's not really clear why. The speculation reached such a fever pitch that Zach felt the need to address it himself, posting to his Instagram Stories to make it clear that he is not currently dating an AI chatbot, and he never has.

“I’m not dating a chatbot,” Zach said. “I can’t believe I have to type these words. It’s a storyline in an upcoming ep of Scrubs. Maybe it came from that? Not sure. But not me. Love, The guy not dating his chatbot. Please update all gossip sites.”

He then posted a clip from the podcast, saying that he didn't even know that this was where the rumor originally came from.

“Also I had no idea until tonight (because I’m not on TikTok) that these folks were the origin of this? I feel like now is a good time to be kind to people," he wrote.

So, while it's certainly possible that Zach, who previously dated Florence Pugh, could be lying, it seems like all the speculation that he was the one dating a chatbot was incorrect.

Now, everyone will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out what other TV celebrity the podcasters could have been talking about.

Of course, it's also possible that the rumor wasn't entirely true to begin with, and that there isn't a TV celebrity out there who is dating a chatbot. We do know that the phenomenon of people dating chatbots is real, so it's certainly possible that some famous people have also decided to open up emotionally to a chatbot.

For now, though we don't know which celebrities that might be true of, or whether the rumor that started circulating online was based in any truth. Zach has made it clear that he's not dating AI, and seemed to be slightly surprised that people thought that was something he might do. Maybe he never saw Her.