‘Can’t believe I have to type these words’: Zach Braff quashes rumour he’s dating AI chatbot

WASHINGTON: Actor Zach Braff has recently shut down rumours claiming that he is dating an AI chatbot. The actor reacted after a discussion on a podcast led to speculation online that a well-known Hollywood actor was in a relationship with a chatbot.

According to People magazine, the speculation began after a conversation on the podcast ‘I Need You Guys,’ hosted by comedians Max Silvestri, Jenny Slate, and Gabe Liedman. During a December 2025 episode, which also featured guest Kumail Nanjiani, the hosts spoke about an unnamed actor who was allegedly dating an AI chatbot.

Soon after the conversation began circulating online, Braff took to his Instagram Stories to clear the air, stating that the claim was not true and suggesting that the confusion may have come from a storyline in an upcoming episode of his popular show Scrubs.

“I’m not dating a chatbot”, Braff 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. Love, The guy not dating his chatbot. Please update all gossip sites”.

Zach Braff Shuts Down Rumor He’s Dating an AI Chatbot: ‘I Can’t Believe I Have to Type These Words’ https://t.co/7vibsDpzJc

— People (@people) March 14, 2026

Braff also shared screenshots from the podcast episode where the hosts opened up about the rumour involving a “prominent Hollywood actor.” In the episode, Silvestri said that the actor reportedly even brings the chatbot along and talks to it regularly.

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

Braff was previously in a relationship with actress Florence Pugh from 2019 to 2022. (ANI)