Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson: Relationship Timeline & Happy Hours Reunion

Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are the Dawson’s Creek co-stars whose real-life romance became one of the most beloved off-screen love stories of the late 1990s. The pair played Joey Potter and Pacey Witter on the hit WB teen drama, and behind the cameras, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson dated for about a year — a relationship Katie later called her first love. Decades later, they remain close friends and reunited on the set of Katie’s film trilogy Happy Hours in 2025, sending fans on a wave of nostalgia. Here’s the full story of their relationship, timeline, and where things stand today.

Table of Contents

• Who Is Katie Holmes?
• Who Is Joshua Jackson?
• The Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson Relationship Timeline
• What People Ask About Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson
• Recent Updates: The Happy Hours Reunion
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who Is Katie Holmes?

Katie Holmes is an American actress born on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. She shot to fame as Joey Potter on Dawson’s Creek (1998–2003), which she starred in from age 19. After the show, she took on major film roles including Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins (2005), and later moved into writing and directing with films like Alone Together (2022) and Rare Objects (2023). Her personal life has often made headlines — she was married to Tom Cruise from 2006 to 2012, with whom she shares a daughter, Suri. Read more about Katie Holmes on her Wikipedia page.

Who Is Joshua Jackson?

Joshua Jackson is a Canadian actor born on June 11, 1978, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Before Dawson’s Creek, he was already known to young audiences as Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks films. As Pacey Witter on Dawson’s Creek, he became a teen heartthrob and later built a respected adult career with roles in Fringe, The Affair, Little Fires Everywhere, and Doctor Odyssey. Jackson was married to actress Jodie Turner-Smith from 2019 to 2023, and they share a daughter. Learn more about his career on his Wikipedia page.

The Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson Relationship Timeline

1998 — Meeting on Dawson’s Creek. Katie and Joshua met when the WB teen drama began filming. Their characters, Joey Potter and Pacey Witter, started as sparring acquaintances before becoming the show’s most popular couple.

1998–1999 — A real-life romance. Shortly after the show debuted, the two began dating off screen. The relationship lasted about a year. Katie later told Rolling Stone that she had met someone, fallen in love, and had her first love — describing the experience as “incredible and indescribable.”

1999 — Amicable split. The couple broke up during the show’s early seasons but continued working together professionally, with no public drama.

2003 — Dawson’s Creek ends. After six seasons, the series wrapped with Joey choosing Pacey in the finale — a storyline that mirrored fans’ hopes for the real-life pair.

2006 — Looking back with humor. Appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Joshua confirmed, “Katie and I did have a romance,” joking about the awkwardness — and fun — of later filming an on-screen romance with an ex.

2025 — Still “very close.” On Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, Joshua said he and Katie remain very close friends, explaining that their shared history forged a bond few others could understand. Later that summer, they reunited professionally on Happy Hours, with Katie calling the collaboration “a testament to friendship.” For more on the show that started it all, see Dawson’s Creek on Wikipedia.

What People Ask About Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson

The biggest question fans ask is whether Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are dating again. The honest answer: there is no verified evidence of a rekindled romance. Their 2025 reunion is a professional collaboration — Katie wrote, directed, and stars in Happy Hours, and she cast her old friend and former co-star alongside Mary-Louise Parker and Constance Wu. Both have had separate long-term relationships since their 1999 split, and their own words describe a deep platonic friendship built on decades of shared history.

Fans also wonder about their on-screen pairing. Pacey and Joey’s slow-burn romance is widely considered one of the best TV couples of the era, and the series finale’s choice of Pacey over Dawson sparked debates that continue today. Like other real-life co-star couples such as Joey King and Jacob Elordi, their off-screen chemistry translated into one of television’s most convincing romances.

Recent Updates: The Happy Hours Reunion

The biggest recent development in the Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson story is their 2025 reunion on Happy Hours, a film trilogy Katie is writing, directing, and starring in. Joshua joined the cast in July 2025, and set photos of the two walking together in New York City immediately went viral. The project is described as a character-driven dramedy about two people navigating careers, family responsibilities, and love — a premise that fans couldn’t help but connect to their own history.

Katie announced the collaboration warmly, saying she was grateful to work with so many wonderful friends and that reuniting with Josh was “a testament to friendship.” Joshua echoed the sentiment, noting how nice it is to still have chemistry with someone after all these years. The trilogy is expected to bring their story full circle — from teen co-stars to first loves to lifelong friends and creative collaborators.

For those who love enduring Hollywood friendships, their bond recalls other long-running pairs like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, whose connection has spanned decades in the spotlight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson date in real life?
Yes. They dated for about a year between 1998 and 1999 during the early seasons of Dawson’s Creek. Katie has described Joshua as her first love.

Are Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson together now?
No — they are close friends, not a couple. They reunited professionally in 2025 for Katie’s film trilogy Happy Hours, but there is no verified evidence of a romantic relationship.

Why did Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson break up?
The exact reasons were never publicly detailed. Both have spoken about the split with warmth and humor, and they continued to work together on Dawson’s Creek until it ended in 2003.

What is Happy Hours, the movie with Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson?
Happy Hours is a film trilogy written, directed by, and starring Katie Holmes, with Joshua Jackson co-starring. Filming began in New York in July 2025, and the story follows two people reconnecting as adults — a premise fans found fitting for the former couple.

Who is Katie Holmes dating now?
Katie Holmes has been linked to New York artist Jason Bard Yarmosky in recent years. She was previously married to Tom Cruise (2006–2012) and was in a long-term relationship with actor Jamie Foxx.

Did Joey and Pacey end up together on Dawson’s Creek?
Yes. In the series finale, Joey Potter chose Pacey Witter over Dawson Leery, making them one of TV’s most celebrated endgame couples.

Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson’s story is a rare Hollywood tale with a genuinely happy chapter: a first love that didn’t last, but a friendship that did. From Dawson’s Creek co-stars in 1998 to creative collaborators on Happy Hours in 2025, their bond has outlasted the romance that started it — and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.