Zach Braff’s new young love revealed two years after split from Florence Pugh

Zach Braff’s new younger love is alt-pop singer-songwriter Frances Whitney.

The Scrubs star, 49, who split from actress Florence Pugh, 28, in 2022, debuted his new romance with Frances during a cozy dinner this week – captured in exclusive photos from DailyMail.com.

The musician – who has over 17,000 Instagram followers, including the actor, is a rising star whose latest single – You Left Me For Jesus – was released in August.

Whitney was previously a professional volleyball player before turning her hand to music.

Her record label biography reads: “Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Frances identifies as a songwriter above all else.

“Even during her While playing professional volleyball abroad, she spent much of her free time with her guitar.

“As soon as she retired from sports and returned to the United States, she also returned to her identity as a musician.

‘Infused with nostalgic nods to the rock stars of the ’70s Los Angeles – and inspired by a lyrically driven modern indie landscape – Frances combines eras to create something all her own: soulful, honest and universal.’

It is unclear where she and Braff first met or how long they have been dating.

About her latest single, she said: ‘This song wrote itself.

‘Atypically, the lyrics and melody poured out of me all at once – as if they had already been written – from a place of deep heartbreak, betrayal and confusion.

‘I cried during the session as I followed the vocals. And here we are!

Her EP Old Hobbies will be released on November 8.

She will embark on her Old Hobbies Tour in December and January – with four dates in San Francisco, Brooklyn, Toronto and LA.

Braff was seen wrapping his arms around Whitney at the famous hotspot Sushi Park in West Hollywood on Tuesday night.

As they left, Braff wrapped his arms around his new love interest and planted a sweet kiss on her neck.

The PDA made his date smile as she walked a few steps ahead of him after dining at the popular sushi spot, tucked away on the second floor of a nondescript strip mall.

For their night out, she wore a chic black long sleeve and ripped light wash jeans.

Since his split from Pugh after three years of dating, the artist has kept his love life out of the spotlight.

In December 2023, he spoke highly of his ex when he appeared on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show.

During the interview, he said that he and Pugh still “love each other” despite only being “friends” now.

He also admitted that they are still in regular contact, and that she had even talked to him earlier that morning.

“I was on the Today Show this morning and she said she wanted to see pictures of my outfit to give her approval, so we love each other a lot,” Braff continued.

He also made it clear that there were no hard feelings between the two as he talked about the Oscar nominee’s prodigious talents.

“Listen, I think it’s pretty clear around the world that I’m not biased when I say she’s one of the best actresses working today,” he enthused.

“I think anyone who watches A Good Person will see that she is just extraordinary, and I feel so lucky that I was able to have her as my leading lady.”

Before their relationship ended, Florence had signed on to star in A Good Person, which Zach directed but did not star in.

Zach and Florence were first introduced on the set of a short film he was making, but it wasn’t until April 2019 that they were linked together when they were spotted holding hands.

However, the couple remained silent and did not confirm the relationship until December of that year.

A Good Person was filmed in 2021, when the couple was still together, and they were apparently together at least until April 2022, when she wished him a happy 47th birthday.

During their relationship, the couple — and especially Florence — experienced a barrage of abuse on social media due to their 21-year age difference, though the Little Drummer Girl actress defended her right to choose to be with Zach.

“I have the right to hang out and hang out with whoever I want and date,” she claimed during a 2020 interview with Elle UK. ‘I’ve always found this part of what people do bizarre.

Pugh continued, “I know part of being in the spotlight is that people can invade your privacy and have opinions about it, but it’s bizarre that normal people are allowed to show such hatred and opinions about a part of my life that I am too. don’t go out there.’

In September, Pugh, who is now dating Peaky Blinders star Finn Cole, explained that she “should have been public in the past” about their relationship due to the relentless bullying over their age difference.

“Me and Zach’s relationship was actually pretty private until it got ugly and I could see the toll it was taking on him, on us, and on our families. And then I spoke out,” she told Vogue.

“I think I want to protect everyone I’m with. It sucks knowing people are saying the worst things I’ve ever read about someone I love.

‘So that was necessary. I had to talk about it. I think any relationship that is in this spotlight will be put under strain.”

Florence confirmed this in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in August 2022 that the couple had gone their separate ways.