Katie Holmes’ famous ex-boyfriend makes surprising comment on status of their relationship

Katie Holmes has had several high-profile relationships over the years, but none appear to have ended as well as the one with her “first love”.

The 46-year-old actress was in an “incredible” relationship with her Dawson’s Creek co-star, Joshua Jackson, in the late 90s, and while they both went on to marry other people, they have managed to stay “very close”.

Joshua shared a rare insight into their relationship today while appearing on the Dinner’s On Me podcast on Tuesday, and despite their breakup, he and Katie have maintained a strong bond.

“Katie and I are very close,” the 46-year-old told host Jesse Tyler Ferguson, adding that he is also “very, very close” with his other Dawson’s Creek co-stars Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams.

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Joshua admitted that while they might not talk daily, the bond between the former co-stars is still going strong over two decades later.

“It’s not a daily call. Sometimes it’s not a weekly or monthly or even a half-yearly call,” the Doctor Odyssey star said.

“But when you’re together, A, there’s always that, like, I know you know. And B, there is, you know, these moments,” he added.

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“Like, these major moments in life are, like, other than your husband, there’s probably no other people in your life that you are that forged to. Because you had to go through good and bad, and happy and ‘[Expletive] you’ and ‘Don’t talk to me’ and ‘I love you.'”

Joshua and Katie were linked in 1997 after meeting on the show, but their relationship was short-lived.

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During an interview with Rolling Stone in 1998, Katie spoke fondly of her “first love”, saying: “I had really good luck this past year and I had a really wonderful, amazing experience.”

When asked more specifically if she was referring to her co-star, she said: “I’m just going to say that I met somebody last year, I fell in love, I had my first love, and it was something so incredible and indescribable that I will treasure it always.”

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While she didn’t use Joshua’s name, she did confirm that the romance had since ended, but there were no hard feelings.

“I feel so fortunate because he’s now one of my best friends,” she added, noting: “He’s been in the business so long, and he’s really helped me. I respect him as a friend and as a professional.”

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Katie went on to date American Pie actor Chris Klein in 2003, and they got engaged a year later.

Before they split in 2005, Katie told Seventeen magazine: “I used to think that I was going to marry Tom Cruise,” and not long later, she did.

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Katie met Tom in the spring of 2005, and their relationship progressed quickly, getting engaged just eight weeks later and announcing they were expecting their first child, daughter Suri, now 19, at the end of the year.

They married in November 2006, just seven months after Suri’s birth, but six years later, in 2012, Katie filed for divorce.

She has since enjoyed a six-year relationship with actor Jamie Foxx, an eight-month romance with chef Emilio Vitolo Jr., and her last public relationship was with musician Bobby Wooten III, which ended in December 2022. 

Meanwhile, Joshua’s dating history includes a 10-year relationship with actress Diane Kruger before marrying actress Jodie Turner-Smith in 2019. The former couple split in 2023 and co-parent their daughter, Juno.