Trending Now: Zach Braff responds to rumors he’s dating an AI chatbot – Fans React

Zach Braff wants you to know that he’s not living out the plot of Spike Jonze’s Her.

The Garden State star denied rumors that he is engaging in a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot in a series of posts on his Instagram Stories on Thursday night.

“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.”

The rumor seemingly dates back to at least December, when comedians Max Silvestri, Jenny Slate, and Gabe Liedman discussed the topic of a prominent Hollywood actor dating a chatbot during an episode of their podcast I Need You Guys with guest Kumail Nanjiani.

“There’s a well-known actor who is currently in a romantic relationship with his AI chatbot,” Silvestri said on the podcast without ever revealing the identity of the person in question. “And [he] brings the chatbot with him places and talks to the chatbot. I think on the phone or computer or whatever.”

Slate, Liedman, and Nanjiani all responded in disbelief.

“How well known is this actor?” Nanjiani asked.

“Very. As near A-list as TV can get you,” Silvestri responded at the time. “This person’s also done films.”

“Is he self-aware about how f—ing weird it is, or he thinks it’s okay?” Nanjiani asked.

“From my understanding, the little bit I’ve heard, is that there is a self-awareness, but in kind of like a, ‘Yeah, sorry you’re not on board with the future’ [way],” Silvestri said.

Later in the episode, Silvestri texted his cohosts and Nanjiani the name of the person, leading  Nanjiani to delightedly clap his hands and exclaim, “Perfect! I will say, good description, not A-list.”

Slate added, “We can’t put this on our podcast. It’s not nice.”

Braff posted screenshots from the I Need You Guys episodes on Instagram, writing, “Also I had no idea until tonight (because I’m not on TikTok) that these folks were the origin of this?”

In another post, the Scrubs star added, “I feel like now is a good time to be kind to people.”

Representatives for Silvestri, Slate, Liedman, and Nanjiani did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

Silvestri responded to Braff’s posts on his own Instagram Stories on Friday.

“Have never mentioned this man’s name in my life,” he wrote. “Aren’t there more important stories in the world right now? Between tariffs and energy prices, the average American can barely afford to charge their girlfriend.”

How did the internet deduce that Braff might be the person described in Silvestri’s story? One hint came from a separate podcast, Caleb Hearon’s So True, on which the host described a similar story in an episode with fellow comedian Chris Fleming

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“You know, I just learned that a famous Hollywood actor has an AI girlfriend,” Hearon said.

“Me, too. And we can talk about that after,” Fleming responded. “We’ll give a clue: Mr. Tumnus.”

Fleming previously referred to Braff as having “Mr. Tumnus vibes” — in reference to the faun character in C.S. Lewis’ first Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe — in a 2022 standup routine.

Representatives for Hearon and Fleming did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

Braff currently stars in the revival of Scrubs on ABC. The show has yet to introduce a character dating an AI chatbot, but there are still five episodes left in the nine-episode season.