Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | March 18, 2026
Zach Braff appeared on Dax Shepard’s podcast this week. I haven’t listened to Shepard’s show in ages, but I couldn’t resist this pairing — I knew their physical similarities would come up. They did. In fact, the topic practically consumed the first half of the episode. They joked about how often they’re mistaken for one another, how awkward it would be if either of them got plastic surgery (Braff won’t consider it, citing too many botched jobs), and the strange identity blur that comes with looking so alike. Braff even admitted he’ll text Shepard whenever he has a particularly funny encounter where someone confuses the two of them.
One story stood out.
Braff was in Las Vegas with his Scrubs co-star and best friend, Donald Faison. After a few drinks, they headed to a club, where Faison eventually disappeared into the DJ booth. While Braff was on his own, Michael Fassbender suddenly appeared, grabbed him, and — before Braff could get a word in — launched into effusive praise.
“I love you. I love your work. Everything you do is incredible,” Fassbender said. “The sh*t you make is f**king awesome. I wish we could work together.”
Naturally, Braff was elated. Getting that kind of admiration from an actor like Fassbender sent his ego into overdrive. “And Donald is looking at me,” Braff recalled, as if he’d never felt prouder.
Then came the turn.
“I mean, like, f**king *CHiPs*, dude.”
That’s when it hit him: Fassbender thought he was Dax Shepard.
“And I just felt my heart sink,” Braff said. “Because now it’s not just about Dax. I don’t even know how to get out of this. It’s so cringe.”
Faison, ever the loyal wingman, stepped in. “No, man — this is Zach Braff.”
Fassbender’s face fell in instant embarrassment. “I would have just walked away,” Braff admitted. But as Fassbender began to retreat, Faison wasn’t having it. He pulled him back in, proudly insisting, “No, no, no —- you come back here. This is Zach Braff. Do you not know him? Have you never seen Garden State?”
He then proceeded to list Braff’s credits while Fassbender nodded along, visibly mortified, before finally managing to slip away.
The story is much better visually. You need to watch. It’s queued up for you:
For what it’s worth, Braff admits a bit later in the podcast that he was on the other side of that equation once when he told Frank Grillo how much he loved him on The Bear (confusing Grillo for Jon Bernthal).
