Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are sparking rumors of a romance. While chatter about a love connection has been bouncing around for weeks, it reached a fever pitch earlier this week, when the former castmates were looking undeniably cozy with each other during a live reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot episode. The live reading, to benefit F Cancer, brought together most of the stars of the quintessential 1990s drama. The cast looked as comfortable as ever together, but sparks really flew between Holmes and Jackson. While on stage, they were seen holding hands and looking lovingly at each other. While they haven’t confirmed a romance, it isn’t the first time sparks have reportedly flown. So, did the duo ever actually date? Yes, and Katie Holmes surprisingly confirmed it at the time.

Katie Holmes confirmed her teenage romance with Joshua Jackson

For years, there were rumors that Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson had a relationship while filming Dawson’s Creek. The former castmates’ on-screen chemistry certainly made it seem plausible. Still, Jackson and Holmes never exactly confirmed that they were once an item. At least not by naming names. Holmes got close, though.

Katie Holmes actually revealed her romance with the co-star back in 1998, though she never used his name. While chatting with Rolling Stone, a then-teenage Holmes told the interviewer that she had met her “first love,” calling the experience of falling in love “indescribable.” When asked if she was referring to Joshua Jackson, she played coy, refusing to answer. She didn’t deny the conclusion and went on to discuss the seasoned actor and how his experience in the field had helped her. Katie Holmes was 19 when the series began; Joshua Jackson was 20.

While Holmes described Jackson as her “first love,” he wasn’t her last. The romance fizzled relatively quickly, and Holmes moved on to date Chris Klein. They began dating in 2000 and ended their romance in 2005. The insanely good-looking couple were briefly engaged before calling it quits. Holmes later went on to marry and divorce Tom Cruise. She also dated Jamie Foxx and Bobby Wooten III in more recent years.

They reconnected years later, but not romantically

If Romance is in the air again now, it’s been a long time in the works. Joshua Jackson once revealed that Holmes called him to reconnect following her split from Cruise, though he didn’t say it was a romantic reconnection. During a 2012 appearance on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Jackson revealed that Holmes had called him up “out of the blue” to chat. She talked about her daughter, and they had a catch-up following her split from Cruise. Nothing came of it, though.

Jackson, at the time, was in a long-term relationship with Diane Kruger. The pair dated from 2006 until 2016. In 2019, Jackson married Jodie Turner-Smith. While they have a child together, their marriage ultimately didn’t work out. They announced their divorce in 2023.

Currently, it appears that Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes are both available. It would be perfect timing for them to see if their first love has what it takes to be their forever love. Dawson’s Creek fans would certainly love to see it.