The Real-Life Partners Of Dawson's Creek's Leading Ladies

For six seasons, the plot of the '90s teen drama "Dawson's Creek" turned on the dramatic love lives of a band of teenagers from Capeside, Massachusetts. Joey, played by Katie Holmes, was the height of quiet, girl-next-door charm, while Michelle Williams brought an endearing vulnerability to her portrayal of wild child Jen. When Busy Phillips joined the cast in season five, her character Audrey added a playfully brash sex appeal. Still, the real world love lives of the "Dawson's Creek" cast have been nearly as sensational.

While both Phillips and Williams are in committed relationships these days, Holme's is publicly single. But that hasn't stopped rumors from swirling that Holmes might be reuniting with her "Dawson's Creek" co-star, Joshua Jackson, who played her on-screen boyfriend, Pacey. On plenty of occasions, Holmes has worn outfits that look ripped from the "Dawson's Creek" set so it's hardly surprising that her love life mirrored her onscreen counterpart, too. Jackson and Holmes dated during the first of the series, and remained close after their split. "It was something so incredible and indescribable that I will treasure it always, and that I feel so fortunate because he's now one of my best friends," Holmes told Rolling Stone. Since then, Holmes' romantic life has included a marriage to Tom Cruise that began with the action star jumping on Oprah's couch and ended with an elaborate escape plan, and a six-year relationships with actor Jamie Foxx. Still, if she does reunite with Jackson, that would be a plot-twist worthy of "Dawson's Creek" itself.

In October 2025, Busy Phillips hard launched her new relationship with "Days Of Our Lives" actor Blake Berris at the Daytime Emmy Awards. Later that same month, the couple were all smiles at the opening of the Broadway play "Liberation." Previously, Berris was married to filmmaker Alexander McGuinness; the pair have three sons.

For Phillips, Berris marks her first public relationship since her 2021 divorce from screenwriter Mark Silverstein. But while she appears to have moved on from her 14-year marriage to Silverstein, with whom she shares two daughters, the experience of working on her marriage — even though the couple ultimately decided to split — profoundly shaped Phillips' perspectives on relationships. "[In a partnership], you have to decide what works for you," Philipps told Harper's Bazaar in 2019. "And you have to think about your children. I want everything for my girls, but the only way they're going to believe it's possible for them is if they see me have it." That's a good thing, since getting clear on what you want is among our best tips for getting back into dating after a divorce.

In memory, Michelle Williams will always be linked to fellow actor Heath Ledger, who she dated for three years after meeting on the set of "Brokeback Mountain." The pair had a daughter, Matilda, together before their 2007 breakup and Ledger's 2008 death. Still, in a 2018 interview with Vanity Fair, Williams explained that her relationship with Ledger shaped what she looked for in other romantic relationships, emphasizing the feeling of total acceptance that he offered her, long before Williams underwent a stunning style evolution and became a household name. "I never gave up on love," she explained. "I always say to Matilda, 'Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes.'"

These days, the actress is married to "Hamilton" director Thomas Kail, who she met while filming the FX series "Fosse/Verdon." "She fell fast and hard for Thomas," an anonymous source told E! News in 2019. "They are very in love and excited about their future together and having a family." The two wed in a private ceremony in 2020, and have welcomed three children together. Though Williams has always been private about her personal relationships, she has made a few comments that indicate she's deeply happy with Kail. In 2022, Williams offered ET a little insight into her their lives, saying "It's a busy house, but it's a happy one." And, during a 2025 interview with Vulture, she mused about her new kink positive television series, "Dying for Sex," before interrupting to joke, "I got to go home and see my husband!"