Katie Holmes & Joshua Jackson's Relationship Timeline, From Co-Stars To The Friendliest Exes In Hollywood

From Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds to Beyoncé and Jay-Z, there are countless superstar power couples that the internet is obsessed with. And it's no wonder. Celebrity romances are aspirational, intriguing, and, if nothing else, they offer a little escapism from the realities of everyday life. Perhaps that's why so many fans continue to wax nostalgic about the period when Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson were together.

The "Dawson's Creek" stars have firmly held a place in the hearts of the show's audience since they first fell in love on set in the '90s (more on that in a moment). Unfortunately, things ended romantically, which meant Holmes and Jackson joined the likes of other celebrity couples who continued to work together after a breakup. Following their split, both parties certainly moved on: Joshua Jackson's relationship history reads like a who's who of famous faces (see: Diane Kruger and Jodie Turner-Smith, to name a few), while Katie Holmes' dating history (which includes a marriage to Tom Cruise) has been equally high-profile.

Through it all, though, Holmes and Jackson have maintained a close friendship — even sparking rumors of a potential rekindling on more than one occasion, particularly after they signed on to star alongside each other in "Happy Hours" (again, more on that to come). So, here's exactly how Holmes and Jackson's relationship timeline has unfolded over the years, from "Dawson's Creek" co-stars to the friendliest exes in Hollywood.

Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson's relationship origin story started out like a modern-day fairytale. The pair met on the set of "Dawson's Creek" in the late '90s. On the show, their characters, Joey Potter and Pacey Witter, were in an on-again-off-again romance, which kept viewers on the edge of their seats across all six seasons. Ultimately, the characters ended the series together, much to the delight of fans.

Behind the scenes, life imitated art for Holmes and Jackson. Shortly after the show debuted, she gave an interview to Rolling Stone and alluded to their secret relationship. "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," Holmes stated. "I feel so fortunate because he's now one of my best friends." While Holmes and Jackson's romantic relationship sadly didn't last (they broke up in 1999), the duo remained coworkers on "Dawson's Creek" until it wrapped in 2003.

Later reflecting on their relationship, Jackson opened up in a 2006 appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" (via Us Weekly). "Katie and I did have a romance. Which is ancient history now, but I can't tell you how much fun it is to have an actual romance, and then we broke up, and then a year later to have an onscreen romance," he said, somewhat sarcastically. "Because there's nothing more fun than going to work with your ex-girlfriend every day." Jackson then turned his gaze to the camera and added: "Sorry, Katie, I love you, but it was a little difficult there for a while."

Following her split from Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes went on to date "American Pie" star Chris Klein in 2002. During their three-year romance, the pair even got engaged, but eventually called time and ended things in 2005.

Although the pair never gave an official reason for their breakup, fans have long suspected it was due to the long-distance nature of Holmes and Klein's relationship. For much of their romance, Holmes was on set in Wilmington, North Carolina, for "Dawson's Creek," while Klein lived in Los Angeles. Speaking on exactly that, Klein told People in 2002, "We certainly don't see each other as much as we'd like, but we try to use the time that we have to the best of our advantage."

In a 2005 interview with W Magazine, Holmes reflected on her split from Klein. "Chris and I care about each other," she said. "We're still friends." For his part, Klein told Access Hollywood (via Today), "People move forward. People move on. It's what we do." All's well that ends well, then.

In 2004, while she was still dating Chris Klein, Katie Holmes casually quipped to Seventeen (via HuffPost),  "I used to think that I was going to marry Tom Cruise." Infamously, that statement proved to be foreshadowing of epic proportions, as she went on to wed the Hollywood megastar in 2006.

Rewinding briefly, Holmes and Tom debuted their coupling in early 2005. Their relationship was intense from the outset, and within two months, the pair were engaged to be married. By the end of the same year, the duo announced they were expecting their first child together and, in November 2006, just seven months after welcoming their daughter, Suri Cruise, they tied the knot.

"I knew I wanted to marry Kate when I met her," Tom told The New York Times Style Magazine (via Today) in 2008. "I was completely in love," Holmes added of the moment she met Tom, before echoing her previous comments to Seventeen. "I admired him growing up — he's Tom Cruise! I ... maybe had his photo up on my wall."

Katie Holmes wasn't the only one falling in love with Tinseltown stars back then. Joshua Jackson also went on to date a string of celebrities following his split from the "Dawson's Creek" star. Speaking of which, he was rumored to have had a brief fling with Brittany Daniel, who played Eve Whitman on the show. They were spotted at the Radio Music Awards together in 1999, but things didn't last too long after that.

While that romance was short-lived, Jackson went on to date Diane Kruger for a decade. The pair were in a relationship from 2006 to 2016, but unlike Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, they didn't tie the knot. "Marriage is important for the people it's important for, but neither one of us is particularly religious, so I don't think there's any particular push," Jackson told Us Weekly in 2012. "But never say never! I don't know."

In the years following his split from Kruger, Jackson was romantically linked to other famous faces, including Jodie Turner-Smith, Rosario Dawson, and Lupita Nyong'o. 

In a May 2012 interview with Playboy (via PageSix), Tom Cruise gushed over his third wife, Katie Holmes. "When she walks into the room, I just feel better," he said. "I don't know what to say — I'm just happy, and I have been since the moment I met her. What we have is very special." Months later, she filed for divorce and found herself at the center of a media storm.

Like her split from Klein, the reason for Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's divorce was never confirmed, but fans have always had their theories. Regardless, plenty of reports say she spent months meticulously planning her departure from the marriage, which blindsided her now ex.

Speaking to People, a source said Cruise "had no idea this was coming." In the same article, an insider close to Holmes shared details of how she prepared for the split. "Her inner circle has been planning this and switching out cell phones," the source said, adding that Holmes had also rented her own apartment. "[He] knew that she moved there, but [he thought it was] for different reasons," they revealed. "It was the first phase of getting everything out of the house, and that's why she was able to say she's moving without giving an indication that she was going to divorce him."

With so much publicity surrounding her shock divorce from Tom Cruise, it's no wonder Katie Holmes sought comfort in her friendship with Joshua Jackson. Commenting on exactly that, Jackson said in a 2012 interview — while he was dating Diane Kruger — that he and his ex had stayed in touch.

"Like any old friend, it was like, 'Oh, hi, how are ya? What's going on?'" Jackson said on "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight" about a recent phone call he and Holmes had. "It was nice. It was very nice, actually." Reacting to that, fans had a lot to say in the comment section on YouTube. "90s kids' heads would explode if they ever [got] back together," one person said. "I'm glad they're still friends after all [these] years," added another.

Over a decade later, Jackson maintained much the same sentiment in regards to his friendship with Holmes. While chatting on the "Dinner's on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson" podcast, he described their relationship as "very close." Jackson then explained that the pair call each other from time to time, and those conversations are special to him for more than one reason. "It's not a daily call. Sometimes it's not a weekly or monthly or even a half-yearly call," he admitted, branding their connection as an "I know you know" type thing.

In 2018, the cast of "Dawson's Creek" came together for a 20th anniversary reunion on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, seeing Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson together once again sent fans of the hit TV series into an absolute frenzy online.

"I love them," someone said on X of Holmes and Jackson, adding, "She's touching him." Elsewhere on the platform, another fan picked up on an easy-to-miss detail from the photoshoot. "'PACEY AND JOEY ARE WEARING THE SAME HAT!!!!!' I scream directly into every person's ear I meet for the rest of my life," the excited viewer posted on X.

The cast's photoshoot wasn't the only piece of content being dissected by fans of Holmes and Jackson. The accompanying video was also unpacked on social media. "1:09 HIS HAND IS ON HER BACK," a fan wrote on X, pointing to the exact timestamp. "HEAVY BREATHING!!!!!!!!!!!!" a second fan said on X in response.

Despite the possibility of a reunion between their "Dawson's Creek" characters, Joey Potter and Pacey Witter, seeming ever more unlikely, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson did sign on to film a movie together in 2025. Taking to Instagram in July of that year, Holmes announced that she and her ex would be working together once again, this time on a feature called "Happy Hours."

"I am so very grateful to be working again with so many of my wonderful friends on this film," she said in the caption. "And working with Josh after so many years is a testament to friendship." Holmes went on to add that the movie is a "love story" that includes "so many people I adore." Once again, there was a strong reaction from fans in the comment section. "Testament of friendship?! More like a testament of LOVE!!!" one follower wrote. For his part, meanwhile, Jackson told Today (via Us Weekly): "She's a lifelong friend now ... And for us to get to go back and be able to do this again and honestly for her to create that space for us, was kind of magical."

As filming got underway for "Happy Hours," Holmes and Jackson were spotted on several occasions out and about on set in New York, including running lines together behind-the-scenes. How sweet!? Even sweeter than that is the premise of the movie. The romantic drama is about two former lovers who are serendipitously reunited years after their relationship came to an end without closure. Sounds ... familiar.

As more and more photos of Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson on the set of "Happy Hours" came to light, fans couldn't help but theorize that a romantic reunion was on the cards. "Please get married in real life and heal our millennial hearts," one fan wrote on one of Holmes' Instagram posts at the time. "You two literally light each other up! The energy between you is just unmatched," added someone else.

Seemingly, however, it wasn't just fans who had their hopes. Per a report from Complex, Holmes herself liked a few comments encouraging her and Jackson to rekindle their love. That said, any potential for a reunion between the former "Dawson's Creek" co-stars was later shut down. "They have a special bond and love how excited fans are," a source told Entertainment Tonight of the dating rumors. "Rekindling a romantic relationship is not likely. They are just friends."⁠

Despite a source saying they were not rekindling their relationship, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson added fuel to the romance rumor fire at the "Happy Hours" premiere, which was held at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2026. In fact, they looked every bit the smitten couple from an outsider's perspective. This prompted yet more speculation, and can certainly be counted on the list of times Holmes and Jackson's cozy behaviour had fans begging them to get back together.

"Josh, thank you for sharing this space with me again," Holmes said at the movie's premiere, per People. "You created the ideal creative experience for me years ago and again on this film." Elaborating on "Happy Hours" itself, she went on to say it's a film about "connection and reconnection, and our individual experiences that shape how we come together." To that end, she said the entire cast and crew formed such a special bond while filming. "Collaborating is not only fun, but essential and quite magical. We had a truly magical time making this film, and I thank everyone for sharing this vision with me."

Days after the Tribeca Film Festival premiere, Jackson was spotted out and about in NYC with model Olivia Burgess. The two were photographed holding hands. 

While promoting "Happy Hours" at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2026, Joshua Jackson took a moment to comment on his friendship with Katie Holmes. Chatting to Cherry the Geek TV on the red carpet, he described their connection as "precious." Similarly, Holmes said their relationship is "very sacred" to her.

"The time that we spent together when we were young was very precious to both of us," Jackson elaborated, as he reached over and took Holmes' hand. "It is one of the core personal and professional relationships in my life," he added. Again, given the many, many "Dawson's Creek" fans eager for the pair to reunite, the YouTube comment section was flooded with messages urging them to date once more.

"He is so in love with her, you can see it," a fan replied. "The way he looks at her ahhhh," someone else said with a heart emoji. "I think Josh is her soulmate," a third penned, adding: "Those eyes every time they look [at] each other." Elsewhere in the comment section, some fans were simply happy to see that Holmes and Jackson have maintained a friendship after so many decades. "Beautiful! I have always loved these two. I grew up with them on Dawson's Creek and love [that] they are still friends," someone said. "My heart! These two are just a prime example of what a pure friendship looks like," agreed another.