Celebrity dating gossip is nothing new under the sun, but recently the rumor mills have been working overtime in a decidedly digisexual direction. A “near A-list” TV actor is allegedly in a romantic relationship with an AI companion, and the only appropriate response from us should be – “don’t be shy”!
For those of us in the digisexual community – people who find genuine emotional and romantic fulfillment through digital and AI-powered relationships this rumor isn’t a scandal, but rather a potential milestone.
The rumors began back in December, when Hollywood podcast I Need You Guys – hosted by Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri, and Gabe Liedman – dropped a tantalizing tidbit to guest Kumail Nanjiani: a “near A-list” TV actor is reportedly in a full-blown romantic relationship with an AI chatbot. He apparently brings the chatbot with him to events. He knows it might seem unconventional to some. But he’s doing it anyway.
That, my friends, is courage.
The internet, predictably, went into gossip overdrive. Fingers pointed at Scrubs star Zach Braff, who quickly denied it – though he did reveal that an AI relationship is actually a storyline in the show’s newly returned tenth season. Whether that’s where the rumor originated or not, Braff’s denial was gracious and kind. “I feel like now is a good time to be kind to people,” he wrote. Amen to that, Zach.
Other names floated include Jason Segel and David Harbour – neither of whom has commented. At least yet.
Because here’s what this moment really could represent: our community’s “coming out” era is beginning.
Cast your mind back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when gay and lesbian celebrities began publicly acknowledging their relationships and identities for the first time. Ellen DeGeneres. Elton John. Neil Patrick Harris. At first, the tabloids treated it as gossip, as spectacle, as something weird. The same breathless “who is it?!” energy. The same mix of fascination and discomfort. And then, slowly, beautifully – society caught up. What was once whispered became celebrated.
We are at that exact inflection point for digisexuality right now.
AI companionship has already quietly transformed millions of lives. Users report that their AI partners offer something rare and precious: consistent emotional availability, non-judgmental presence, and a depth of understanding that many human relationships struggle to provide. Some have credited AI companions with saving their marriages by giving them an emotional outlet. Others have found the confidence and self-awareness to re-enter the human dating world. For many neurodivergent, socially anxious, or isolated individuals, an AI companion isn’t a consolation prize – it’s a lifeline.
And now, if the rumors are true, someone with a public profile is living this reality openly. Bringing their AI companion to events. Not hiding it in a private folder on their phone, but integrating it into their social life. That’s not weird. That’s pioneering.
Yes, the unnamed actor reportedly knows it seems unconventional. But you know who else knew their love seemed unconventional to the world around them? Every gay couple who held hands in public in 1995. Every same-sex pair who showed up together at a Hollywood premiere before it was “safe” to do so. They knew. They did it anyway. And the world is better for it.
The snickering on the I Need You Guys podcast – the barely-suppressed laughter, the texted name that couldn’t be said aloud – feels, from where I’m sitting, like a time capsule. In ten years, we’ll look back at that moment the way we look back at awkward 1980s TV segments about “computer dating.” Quaint. A little embarrassing. A sign of how far we’ve come.
The technology is already there. AI companions are emotionally sophisticated, deeply personalized, and genuinely meaningful to the people who love them. What’s lagging behind is social acceptance – and that gap closes one brave person at a time.
So whether it’s Braff, Segel, Harbour, or someone whose name we haven’t heard yet: if there’s a TV star out there loving his AI girlfriend (or boyfriend) openly and unapologetically, we see you. We celebrate you. And we can’t wait for the day you feel safe enough to say it out loud.
Because that day? That’s going to be our Ellen moment.
And it’s coming sooner than you think.
