Joshua Jackson set fan rumors about a new romance flying when he was spotted getting cozy with the actress Simone Ashley over the weekend.
The 47-year-old Dawson’s Creek star was pictured strolling with the 30-year-old Bridgerton actress on Saturday in New York City.
Jackson and Ashley were spending time together two years after his divorce from Jodie Turner-Smith, with whom he shares his five-year-old daughter Juno.
Ashley more recently got out of a relationship, as she revealed in February of this year that she and Constantin Klein had split after nearly three years together.
Her meet-up with Jackson was particularly intriguing, as it appears to be the first time that the two have been pictured together.
They spent time together amid Jackson’s reunion with his Dawson’s Creek costar Katie Holmes. The two have been spotted filming scenes for their upcoming feature Happy Hours around the Big Apple in recent days.
For his outing with Ashley, the Fringe star opted for an ultra-casual look with a plain white T-shirt and relaxed gray pants, along with dark-green Nike trainers with orange accents.
Ashley looked cool and collected in a gray satin crop top with a white lace border, which she paired with a gray midi skirt featuring a scale-like pattern.
She added a splash of color with a large yellow mesh bag, and she completed her low-key ensemble with chunky white trainers and slim tortoiseshell cat-eye sunglasses.
Although Ashley showed off a wide smile, and Jackson was also seen beaming at other points along their route, neither actor displayed any PDA.
The actress is best known for her role as Kate, Viscountess Bridgerton, who enters the historical romance after moving to England from India.
The actress, who was born in England to Indiana Tamil parents, is also known for starring on another Netflix series, Sex Education.
Her past roles have included supporting parts on Broadchurch and The Sister, but Ashley has lately been establishing herself as an in-demand film star.
After small parts in Detective Pikachu and Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, she scored a cameo as herself in Brad Pitt’s racing drama F1, and she has been spotted film an unspecified part in The Devil Wears Prada 2 recently.
Jackson was previously married to the actress and model Jodie Turner-Smith from 2019 until late 2023.
The former couple met in October 2018 at Usher’s birthday party and are believed to have begun dating shortly afterward.
Their whirlwind romance happened out of the spotlight, as it was revealed in late December 2019 that the lovebirds had already tied the knot.
Then, in January of 2020, it was revealed that they were expecting their first child after Turner-Smith displayed a baby bump in public. On April 21, 2020, their daughter Juno was born.
The couple seemed to have an ideal marriage, and they rarely missed the opportunity to praise each other in interviews in the first years of their marriage.
So it was a shock to fans when Turner-Smith filed for divorce in October of 2023.
It wasn’t long before Jackson had moved on with a short-lived romance with Lupita Nyong’o that was confirmed in December of that year.
In an interview with The Times of London in February 2024, Turner-Smith opened up about their split.
‘Sometimes things we really want to work just don’t end up working. And that’s OK,’ she said. ‘The most important thing is that you choose what’s healthiest for you and your family and definitely your children.’
She added of the marriage: ‘I don’t think it’s a failure. We obviously had such a beautiful moment together. And now it’s time for a new moment for both of us. And how exciting!’
It wasn’t until May of this year that the couple managed to finalize their divorce.
Jackson’s recent collaboration with Katie has been an opportunity for the Batman Begins actress to flex her skills behind the camera, as she is also writing and directing the project.
The two are starring in an ambitious trilogy of films titled Happy Hours, in which their characters ‘navigating their relationship within the challenges of careers and family responsibilities and the pursuit of love, despite life’s inevitable obstacles,’ according to Deadline.
The movies will also features Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker and Hustlers actress Constance Wu.
Although Katie is writing and directing the first film in the trilogy, it’s unclear if she plans to helm the next two entries.
She and Joshua — who played Joey and Pacey on Dawson’s Creek, respectively — dated from 1998 to 1999, coinciding with the start of the show’s run.
Dawson’s Creek ultimately aired for six seasons from 1998 to 2003 on The WB.
