Zach Braff Says It Was ‘Really Shocking’ to Learn Some “Scrubs” Reboot Costars ‘Weren't Alive’ When Show First Came Out (Exclusive)
Zach Braff Says It Was ‘Really Shocking’ to Learn Some “Scrubs” Reboot Costars ‘Weren't Alive’ When Show First Came Out (Exclusive)
Meredith Wilshere, Scott HuverSun, March 1, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC
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Zach BraffCredit: Julian Hamilton/FilmMagic -
Zach Braff and Donald Faison reflect on working with younger cast members on the Scrubs reboot who "weren't alive" when the show first aired in 2001
The reboot features returning stars like Sarah Chalke and John C. McGinley alongside a new, younger intern class
The Scrubs revival premiered on ABC on Feb. 25, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day
Zach Braff admits it was “really shocking” to learn the ages of some of his new Scrubs costars, who were far too young, if even alive, to watch the show when it first came out.
“I knew that we made the show in 2000, but I'm acting with these 25-year-olds who are brilliant and smart and clever, and then they say they were born in 2000, and it kind of blows your mind," he tells PEOPLE at the premiere of the Scrubs revival on Feb. 23 at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
"It's weird when you're like, ‘What? But you're my work friend. You weren't alive when we made the show?’" he continues. "It's weird when you do the math, it doesn't feel right."
While some of the new actors weren't born yet, the Garden State actor, 50, notes that others "were literally infants."
Original 'Scrubs' castCredit: Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Braff’s costar and best friend, both on and off the screen, Donald Faison, shares a similar sentiment, telling PEOPLE, "You really don't realize you're old until somebody reminds you of how old you are."
"To have someone say to me, 'I was freshly out of the womb when Scrubs started, and now I'm on the show with you,' was a little surreal," he says. "It's a little like, 'Wait a second, I'm that old? I'm that old?' "
Scrubs ran for nine seasons, from 2001 to 2010, and the storyline is set to continue in the new revival. The show will feature the return of several original cast members and characters, including Braff as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian, Faison as Dr. Christopher Turk, Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliot Reid, John C. McGinley as Dr. Perry Cox, Judy Reyes as head nurse Carla Espinosa, Phill Lewis as Hooch and Robert Maschio as Dr. Todd 'The Todd' Quinlan.
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While the reboot will include several familiar faces that fans will recognize, there are also plenty of newbies joining the cast. The new group is made up of Ava Bunn as Serena, Jacob Dudman as Asher, David Gridley as Blake, Layla Mohammadi as Amara and Amanda Morrow as Dashana.
Chalke, 49, had a similar response to the rest of her costars when thinking about the ages of the newer cast members, joking that, "In your mind, you kind of still think you're 30.”
“And we're not. It was actually one of the coolest experiences of doing the reboot was getting to work with the five of them. They are as nice as they are talented, such interesting, fun human beings," she says. "And we had so much fun getting to know them, but also, they're ridiculously talented. And yeah, but it is an interesting marker of time to think that it's 25 years ago that we were doing this."
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'Scrubs' reboot castCredit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
The show will also feature former Saturday Night Live cast member Vanessa Bayer and comedian Joel Kim Booster, who both play staff at Sacred Heart Hospital.
The Scrubs reboot premiered on ABC on Feb. 25, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
