Not too long ago, a group of comedians spoke about an unnamed “TV famous” actor.
The actor allegedly believed himself to be in a “relationship” with a genAI slopbot, though clearly he would phrase it more romantically.
Rumors have circulated, with TikTok cybersleuths naming their suspect: Zach Braff.
He’s addressing it now — and he’s in a state of disbelief.
Which actor is ‘dating’ a genAI chatbot?
Let’s start at the beginning, which is actually a December 16, 2025 episode of the I Need You Guys podcast.
Comedian hosts Max Silvestri, Jenny Slate, and Gabe Liedman had the incomparable Kumail Nanjiani as a guest.
“There’s a well-known actor who is currently in a romantic relationship with his AI chatbot,” Silvestri dished.
He claimed that the actor “brings the chatbot with him places and talks to the chatbot. I think on the phone or computer or whatever.”
When Nanjiani asked how well-known the actor was, Silvestri replied: “Very. As near A-list as TV can get you. This person’s also done films.”
“Is he self-aware about how f–king 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 replied.
(That is a common dismissal from people who buy into genAI slop machines — they believe that they are on the cutting edge of technology and that they have not been hoodwinked by a colossal scam.)
Nanjiani was curious, so Silvestri messaged him the name. “Perfect! I will say, good description, not A-list,” Nanjiani replied.
Jenny Slate asked to move on, noting: “We can’t put this on our podcast. It’s not nice.”
‘I can’t believe I have to type these words’
Three months after that podcast episode aired, actor Zach Braff — a man best known for his television work but who has also appeared in film — took to his Instagram Stories to debunk a rumor.
“I’m not dating a chatbot,” he began his message. “I can’t believe I have to type these words.”
Braff added: “It is a storyline in an upcoming ep of Scrubs. Maybe it came from that? Not sure.”
The actor then reiterated: “But not me. Love, The guy not dating his chatbot.”
Braff asked: “Please update all gossip sites.”
Braff then shared screenshots of the podcast episode.
“Also I had no idea until tonight (because I’m not on TikTok) that these folks were the origin of this?” he continued.
“I feel like now is a good time to be kind to people,” the actor suggested.
Just for the record, none of the people in that podcast episode mentioned his name at all. We have no idea what name they typed in private.
However, Braff is right about kindness.
Which actor IS ‘dating’ a slop engine?
Considering that genAI slop propaganda often targets the vulnerable among us, kindness is an especially relevant plea.
Whoever this actor is (if the rumor is even true), this is probably someone who was feeling isolated and vulnerable.
All cons are most effective against people who feel like they are alone. And sycophantic predictive-text programs make these unfortunate individuals feel that they are understood and loved.
It’s an illusion. It’s a lie. These slop engines cannot know people, let alone love them. But they can immitate text messages that can more or less make someone feel loved.
Someone who believes that they are “dating” genAI slop is a victim. They will need care, patience, and understanding to come back to reality.