Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are proof that life imitates art. Since reconnecting in July, the duo has been re-enacting their own version of their Dawson’s Creek characters’ will-they-won’t-they relationship trope.
Back in 1998, Holmes and Jackson met on set. They dated briefly at the time, but eventually broke up and became friends instead. After the show wrapped in 2003, they kept in touch, but romance was no longer part of the equation.
Instead, they both focused on other serious relationships. Holmes was married to Tom Cruise from 2006 to 2012. And in 2019, Jackson married Jodie Turner-Smith. They divorced in 2023. Now, they are both single (publicly, at least), and fans are hoping for a romantic reunion.
In July, Holmes and Jackson reconnected to work on a new project, and ever since, they’ve been spending more and more time together. Their relationship status is still ambiguous, but that has not stopped fans from shipping them as a couple.
Here’s a full breakdown at their relationship timeline, from 1998 to now.
1998: They Met On Dawson’s Creek
Holmes and Jackson met when they started playing Joey and Pacey on Dawson’s Creek in 1998. In September of that year, she opened up about their relationship in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“I’m just going to say that I met somebody last year,” she said, when asked about rumors that she dated Jackson. “I fell in love, I had my first love, and it was something so incredible and indescribable that I will treasure it always.”
“And that I feel so fortunate because he’s now one of my best friends. It’s weird, it’s almost like a Dawson-and-Joey type thing now,” she said at the time. “He’s been in the business so long, and he’s really helped me. I respect him as a friend and as a professional.”
April 2023: Joshua Jackson Reflected On Their Romance
Jackson opened up about their romance in an April 2023 interview with The Times. “We were kids, so it was a full-on stars-moon-sky romance!” he said at the time.
He also shared how the cast keeps in touch — via a WhatsApp group message. “It doesn’t get a lot of use but every once in a while someone will crop up. [In January] we passed the 25th anniversary [of the show] so there was a flurry of texts. It really centres around, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe that we all went through that thing together.’ It’s obviously such a formative point in all our lives,” he told the outlet.
A year later, in June 2024, Holmes told The Times that she did not participate in the group message. “All of us text every now and then, but I wasn’t aware of the WhatsApp. But you know what? I’m really bad at WhatsApp. I never check it because it’s a little too much,” she said. “Everyone’s grown up and is busy, but the bond will for ever be there.”
July 2025: They Started Working Happy Hours
Holmes and Jackson reconnected to work on Happy Hours, a movie trilogy that Holmes is writing, directing, and starring in. For the project, she cast Jackson to play her love interest.
After the movie was announced in July, the duo was spotted filming together in New York City. In photos, they looked very cozy together, prompting rumors that they rekindled their real-life relationship, too.
At the time, however, an insider told Entertainment Tonight that things were still platonic between them. “Rekindling a romantic relationship is not likely. They are just friends,” the source said. “Josh and Katie are excited to be working together again. They have a special bond and love how excited fans are.”
September 2025: They Showed PDA At The Dawson’s Creek Reunion
Holmes and Jackson both participated in the Dawson’s Creek Class Reunion in September. The live event featured a reading of the show’s pilot episode to raise awareness for F Cancer and show support for the show’s star, James Van Der Beek, who is battling cancer now.
At the end of the event, the cast — plus Lin Manuel Miranda (who filled in for Van Der Beek) — sang the iconic theme song and took a bow. It was hard to ignore how close Holmes and Jackson seemed, leaning on each other and holding hands. At one point, Holmes even kissed Jackson’s hand.
