Zach Braff and Florence Pugh’s relationship didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean they’re not friends. The Scrubs alum addressed his relationship with his ex-girlfriend in a new interview on The Happy Hour on SiriusXM’s TODAY Show Radio, along with Hoda and Jenna’s Talia Parkinson and Donna Farizan. There’s no bad blood between Zach, 48, and Florence, 27.
“Well, we love each other, and I just think. Listen, I just think she’s extraordinary and that’s not BS or blowing smoke,” he said. “We’re friends and I root for her, and I just think that she’s so talented. And yeah, we don’t let any of that ex-BS get in the way. We root for each other.”
He added, “She knew I was on the TODAY show today, she texted me and said, How’d it go? We’re just – we’re close. And she’s so magical in this film A Good Person. There’s not a single soul that could watch this movie and not come away saying, wow, that is one of the most incredible actresses working today.”
Zach and the Dune actress started dating after working together on the short film In the Time It Takes to Get There. When they got together, Zach and Florence faced criticism for the 21-year age gap between them.
“We weren’t in anyone’s faces. It was just that people didn’t like it,” she told Vogue. “They imagined me with someone younger and someone in blockbusters. I think young relationships in Hollywood are so easily twisted because they add to the gossip sites. It’s exciting to watch. And I think I was in a relationship that didn’t do any of that.”
In her Vogue cover story, which was released in January 2023, Florence confirmed that she and Zach had split up in 2022. The former couple worked together on A Good Person. Florence starred in the film and Zach directed.
“She’s just magnetic,” he told Vogue. “You cannot take your eyes off of her. And it’s not just her beauty and it’s not just her acting ability, it’s that thing, that magic thing that transcends the screen, where anyone and everyone goes: I want to see whatever this person does.”