What Florence Pugh And Zach Braff Have Said About Their Break Up

Florence Pugh and Zach Braff had what you can consider an "Us Against The World" type of relationship. The pair reportedly hit it off on the set of Braff's short film, "In the Time It Takes to Get There," which was filmed in 2018, but the minute fans caught wind of their romance, they faced widespread scrutiny, largely because of their 21-year age gap. Still, criticisms did little to sway their commitment to each other. But in 2022, after nearly three years together, they decided to go their separate ways.

Throughout their relationship, Pugh and Braff made it a point to keep things under wraps, save for what seems to be a tradition of posting annual Instagram love letters on each other's birthdays. "I can't believe I get to giggle with you everyday. What a pleasure it is to know you. What a gift to the world it was that you were born," Braff wrote on Pugh's 25th birthday, and Pugh penned on Braff's 46th: "His appreciation for life and excitement for LIVING is something I always take note of." The "Oppenheimer" star also had to repeatedly defend her relationship with Braff, firing back at trolls who questioned their love. "I have the right to hang out and be with and go out with anyone I want to," she told Elle. "People have no right to educate me on my private life."

But alas, despite seemingly being head over heels for each other, Pugh and Braff eventually broke up. Pugh said they tried to manage their split as quietly as possible, while Braff confirmed they maintained their friendship post-breakup.

Having been on the receiving end of plenty of ridicule during most of their relationship, Florence Pugh and Zach Braff didn't want to give naysayers the benefit of witnessing their breakup. And so when they eventually decided to part ways, they chose to do it away from the prying eyes of the public.

"We've been trying to do this separation without the world knowing, because it's been a relationship that everybody has an opinion on," Pugh admitted to Harper's Bazaar in August 2022, noting that they split months prior. "We just felt something like this would really do us the benefit of not having millions of people telling us how happy they are that we're not together. So we've done that." While the "Don't Worry Darling" actor didn't elaborate as to why they decided to hit the brakes on their romance, she couldn't hide the emotional toll the breakup took on her. "I automatically get a lumpy throat when I talk about it," she confessed.

Despite going their separate ways, the two remained amicable. Pugh even made it a point to promote the Braff-directed film she starred in months after their split. "This is the first time I've had the pleasure and the privilege of watching how the art is made from the very beginning to the very end," she wrote on Instagram, making sure to tag Braff. "I am so proud of this creation."

Zach Braff, for his part, rarely comments on his relationship with Florence Pugh, but in a guest appearance on SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Show," the "Garden State" star shared that while being exes, they still harbor a lot of love for one another and continue to be chummy.

"Well, we love each other. We love each other and we're friends," he said, noting that they're constantly in contact to the point that Pugh would even check his outfits for him to see if they're suitable for TV. "I was on the 'Today' show this morning, and she said she wanted to see pictures of what my outfit was to give approvals, so we love each other a lot."

Braff only has good things to say about his ex-flame, taking every opportunity to gush about how talented of an actor she is. He has continued to be vocal about her exceptional talent, especially in light of her performance in "A Good Person," which he wrote and directed. "She's a next-level actress. I mean, she's just unbelievable and what I was writing was gonna be really challenging." Braff told ET. "It wasn't for your average actors — I couldn't have written the part for myself."