'I've never wanted a celebrity couple to be more real than this one.'

This morning, I ran through the Mamamia office with the tenacity and staunch determination of a man from the 1700s frantically riding a horse into town shouting 'hear ye, hear ye,' as he elegantly unfurls a scroll bearing the latest breaking news.

You see, I had something to share.

It wasn't a happy personal life update like an engagement or an exciting new online purchase. It wasn't even something as joyous as declaring there was free cake in the kitchen (an office announcement we can all appreciate). No, I had some Hollywood gossip to impart. Details of a celebrity relationship rumour, if you will.

The thrill of this breaking news had nothing to do with me. But sometimes it's okay to get a little parasocial with it. And today is one of those times, because Joshua Jackson and Simone Ashley have been #spotted on the streets of New York. 

Me arriving at Mamamia HQ this morning. Image: Supplied.

Joshua is in town filming a new movie called Happy Hours with Katie Holmes — reuniting some 22 years after they wrapped on Dawson's Creek. Simone is in town filming the hotly anticipated sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2.

"Joshua Jackson and Simone Ashley are spending time together," People Magazine boldly declared, with zero sway in either direction to suggest this was or was not romantic. But we know what they meant… because of the implications.

According to Harpers Bazaar, this was Simone and Joshua's first public one-on-one outing. And with updates like these, who wouldn't be excited to spring to work and talk about the latest Hollywood it-couple!

Now, that's all the 'official' information we know at this stage. Riveting? If you have a vivid imagination and a sense of whimsy in your heart, yes.

Because if you zoom in — like a creep and/or entertainment expert looking for a hot scoop — you'll notice that their hands grazed.

If regency-era pop culture content has taught us anything — and I like to think it has — it's that a hand-graze is the ultimate sign of blossoming romance and feelings™. And if being a fan of Joshua Jackson has taught me another thing, it's that this man loves to engage in a little PDA, and a breezy summer stroll with a slight hand-graze might just be the perfect introduction to his new relationship.

What do we have here? Two single, sweet, jaw-droppingly stunning celebrities finding themselves intertwined in the city of love (well, that's not what it's called, but it is where every single rom-com of all time is filmed). There is much to unpack, you see.

Simone Ashley, her friend Bria O'Brien and Joshua Jackson out in NYC recently ✨ pic.twitter.com/pRVHLOnv9h

— best of simone ashley (@simonearchives) August 11, 2025

For many of us, Joshua Jackson was the defining childhood crush. From his sporty appearance in The Mighty Ducks to his bad boy energy in Andre, we swooned over this young Canadian star. As for his turn as Pacey Witter in Dawson's Creek? Lives were changed. Brain chemistry was altered. Parasocial fans — like me! — were born.

Sure, his current divorce from the incredible Jodie Turner-Smith is sounding more and more bitter by the day, and it may eventually turn out that he's not the best guy in the world. It happens! And perhaps!!! He has been accused of serial-dating in the past. And maybe!!!!! He has a 17-year age gap with Simone Ashley that I do not feel the need to discuss currently.

For now, Joshua is the sun and I am simply a planet in his orbit. And that's poetry!

Pair him with the goddess that is Bridgerton's own Simone Ashley and what you have is a hot, hot celebrity couple that we can really root for. Plus, I'd like to think Simone is, much like me, a longtime fan living out her ultimate teen fantasy of going on a date with her Hollywood crush.

And at the end of the day, that's the kind of nonsense I can get behind in a world where AI garbage and 'fake news' reports are dominating the pop culture feed.

For more on this rumoured romance — and a deep dive into the Beckham family feud — listen to today's episode of The Spill.

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