Scrubs star Zach Braff has been forced to deny rumours that he is currently dating an AI chatbot.
The actor and director took to his Instagram Stories to distance himself from the speculation after it was discussed on an episode of the podcast I Need You Guys, hosted by comedians Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman.
Braff was not directly named on the podcast, but Silvestri said that “a well-known actor” was “currently in a romantic relationship with his AI chatbot”, going on to describe the actor as “as near A-list as TV can get”.
Braff’s name did begin to circulate on TikTok, however, causing him to come out to defend himself on social media.
“I’m not dating a chatbot,” he wrote. “I can’t believe I have to type these words. It is a storyline in an upcoming ep of Scrubs. Maybe it came from that. Not sure. But not me.”
‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff forced to address ‘weird’ rumors he’s dating an AI chatbot The wild rumor first gained momentum in an episode of Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman's "I Need You Guys" podcast in December. https://t.co/fsPKB4pIrL pic.twitter.com/T8kGY8u5xD
— NahBabyNah (@NahBabyNahNah) March 13, 2026
He concluded: “Love, the guy not dating his chatbot. Please update all gossip sites.”
Braff, who also wrote and directed the 2004 indie film Garden State, dated the actor Florence Pugh from 2019 to 2022, and has also been romantically linked with Mandy Moore, Drew Barrymore and Rachel Bilson.
Scrubs is back on TV screens after a 16-year absence for an 11th season on ABC in the US and Disney+ in the UK. Aseem Batra has returned as showrunner, having overseen the show from seasons six to nine, while Tim Hobert had been due to run the show alongside Batra, but he left production last year due to “creative differences”.
The sitcom was created by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Shrinking), and it follows Braff as the loveable doctor J.D. who navigates life at Sacred Heart Hospital.
It debuted in 2001 and ran for eight seasons, becoming a ratings hit and winning two Emmys. A ninth season in 2010 introduced a new cast of medical interns with Braff in a supporting role, but it proved unpopular with fans, many of whom consider it outside of the show’s canon.
Despite his enthusiasm to return, Braff did admit last year that he felt “exhausted” by the time Scrubs came to a close. “We were starting to repeat jokes. Everyone’s pretty fried,” he said. “We would do insane hours that people don’t even do anymore. We didn’t really have much of a life outside of it. So we were just kind of fried”.
Scrubs isn’t the only past show returning to the air, with NME’s list of TV shows to look forward to in 2026 including reboots of both Malcolm In The Middle and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
English (US) · 