1 Thing About Mandy Moore Led Zack Braff to Admit He ‘Didn’t Like’ Dating Her
Mandy Moore has dated her share of high-profile men over the years. But one of her most notable relationships to date was her short-lived romance with Scrubs star Zach Braff.
The two seemed to be perfect together and appeared to have the ideal relationship. But despite their romance being one many fans envied, Braff previously confessed that his relationship with Moore wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, sharing that there was one thing about dating her he didn’t particularly enjoy.
Zach Braff and Mandy Moore dated for two years
While it’s unclear how Braff and Moore met, they started dating in late 2004.
At the time, both were at the height of their careers, with Braff basking in the fame from his directorial feature debut, Garden State, while Moore was coming off the success of the cult comedy Saved!
Though they seemed like an unlikely pair, the actors soon proved that they were the epitome of a chill celebrity couple. With both having successful acting careers and regularly taking on jobs in Hollywood, they understood each other’s work and knew that their jobs came first.
“It’s just nice to be with anyone who’s supportive of what you do and proud of you and respects you and respects your work,” Moore told Cosmopolitan in 2006. “I feel lucky to be with someone who’s like that.”
Though it seemed like Braff and Moore were the perfect match, the flame burning between them eventually fizzled out. In 2006, the pair called it quits after just two years of dating.
In 2018, Moore opened up about her relationship with the Scrubs actor on The Howard Stern Show, sharing that she thought they would be together a lot longer than they actually were.
“You’re like, ‘This is it, I know who I am, what I want.’ I knew nothing, in reality,” she said, according to Yahoo. But despite their romance ending, the This Is Us star said she and Braff are “friendly exes,” noting that they’re still in touch.
Zach Braff wasn’t a fan of their relationship
Following their 2006 breakup, Braff kept a tight lip on his relationship with Moore. However, in 2014, he opened up about their romance during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show.
While talking about his feelings on dating famous women, Braff revealed that he’s not interested in being in a relationship with a well-known star, noting that not having privacy when it comes to his love life is why he “didn’t like” dating Moore.
“I don’t want to date the super-famous girls. Remember, I did that once before when I dated Mandy Moore and it was not a good — I didn’t like it,” Braff told Stern. “Why? Oh, it’s the old paparazzi-suck chestnut: When you date another famous person, that’s when they really hound you. That’s when the paparazzi are outside your house and that’s when you can’t ride your bike through Manhattan because people follow you.”
Mandy Moore wasn’t the last famous woman Zach Braff dated
Seeing as Braff wasn’t a fan of his relationship with Moore, you would think that he wouldn’t be interested in dating another celebrity.
However, Braff has since found himself in relationships with two fairly well-known women in the entertainment industry.
In 2009, the actor began dating model Taylor Bagley. The two were in a relationship for five years before calling it quits in 2014.
Today, Braff is in a relationship with Little Women actor Florence Pugh, who he’s been dating since 2019. Though the pair have kept their romance private, there has been a target on the couple’s backs due to their over 20-year age difference.
Though Braff prefers to keep his romances away from prying eyes, it seems he can never avoid the stay under the radar whenever he’s dating a famous woman, no matter how hard he tries.
