“I am not dating a chatbot”: Zach Braff dismisses claims that he is romantically involved with an AI chatbot

Folks on social media began speculating that Scrubs star Zac Braff was romantically involved with an AI chatbot after a three-month-old podcast clip went viral. The rumor spread across social media to the point that Braff stepped in to deny it directly.

He addressed the chatter on Instagram after a gossip post revived the older podcast clip. In the speculative post, people were naming names of dozens of different actors, but Braff was the one who came up repeatedly.

A podcast rumor sent the internet guessing

The speculation about Braff ignited during a December 2025 episode of the relatively new podcast I Need You Guys. The episode features hosts Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri, alongside guest Kumail Nanjiani.

During the episode, Silvestri shared gossip that has been circulating among Hollywood (and the internet) about a "well-known actor" allegedly dating an AI chatbot. According to him, the unnamed star even brought the chatbot to events, whatever that means. He also said the actor understood how unusual the situation sounded, but didn't seem to care.

Naturally, the group tried to guess who the mystery person might be. Silvestri offered a vague clue. He said the person was a TV star who was "as near A-list as TV can get you."

Eventually, he texted the actor’s name to the others instead of saying it out loud. Listeners never learned the identity. However, the reactions were immediate.

"Perfect, perfect, perfect," Nanjiani said after laughing loudly. "It’s so funny, but it’s so good."

Slate was just as shocked and said, "Oh my god, this is not—we can’t put this on our podcast."

This didn't stop listeners from making their guesses.

Zach Braff is now denying the speculation

For months, the clip stayed relatively quiet online despite the blue TikTok-generated search within the comments section being titled "Zach Braff ai girlfriend."

Then, the gossip account Deuxmoi reposted it on Instagram, and followers started searching for clues and speculating. Many people suggested Braff, since the return of Scrubs is bringing him into the spotlight once more.

However, Braff quickly addressed the speculation himself. He posted a short message denying the rumor on Instagram Stories. "I am not dating a chatbot," he wrote on his Instagram Story. "I can’t believe I have to type these words."

Then he suggested a possible explanation. "It is a storyline in an upcoming ep of Scrubs," he added. "Maybe it came from that. But not me."

He ended the Story post with a joke about the absurd situation. "Love, the guy not dating his chatbot. Please update all the gossip sites."

Afterward, Braff shared screenshots featuring Slate and Nanjiani from the podcast, saying he "had no idea until tonight [...] that these folks were the origin of this?"

He also included a final reminder aimed at fans and commenters, saying, "I feel like now is a good time to be kind to people."

People on Reddit largely felt bad for the actor, especially given that this podcast episode is so old at this point. Others speculated that it could be PR for the new revival of Scrubs.

u/Snark_a_lark0 wrote, "I’d be so embarrassed if people believed I was dating a chatbot."

u/Penguin-clubber pointed out, "It’s the fact that he was referred to as A list by the rumor source that makes me lean toward this being Scrubs PR."

Meanwhile, u/HereOnCompanyTime said, "It could be, but their podcast seems kind of messy. They never said it was him, the internet kind of rolled with it, he doesn't seem amused by it."

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