If you’re someone who keeps up with celebrity gossip, you may have heard a rumor that Zach Braff has a new girlfriend, and that girlfriend is an AI chatbot. Well, Braff would like you to know it’s not true.
On Thursday, Braff posted a 2025 clip of the I Need You Guys podcast on his Instagram Stories, where the hosts — Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman, and Jenny Slate — talked with guest Kumail Nanjiani about an unnamed actor who’s currently in a relationship with his AI chatbot. (They did not mention Braff by name, but Silvestri texted the name to the group, prompting peals of laughter from everyone involved.) “I’m not dating a chatbot,” Braff wrote over the clip. “I can’t believe I have to type these words.”
Braff suggested the rumor may have started because it’s a “story line in an upcoming ep of Scrubs.” “Maybe it came from that? Not sure. But not me,” he wrote, blaming the podcast hosts for being “the origin of this” and adding, “I feel like now is a good time to be kind to people.” Concluding the message, Braff signed it off, “Love, the guy not dating his chatbot. Please update all gossip sites.”
It’s unclear why Braff is just now catching wind of this discussion, but it might be because DeuxMoi posted a blind item about it on Thursday. “The actor with an AI girlfriend revealed to DeuxMoi,” the post said. “Can you guess who?” DeuxMoi did not reveal the actor’s name, but the comments were full of theories, many of which guessed it was Braff.
Well, sorry to disappoint, but Braff swears he’s not in love with a robot after all. After clearing things up, he went back to promoting the Scrubs reboot on his Instagram Stories, which may or may not involve a story line that he’s in love with a robot. That’s one way to get people watching.