“Just because they have an onscreen romance, DOES NOT mean they have an offscreen one,” one person wrote in response to the moment.
Gellar has been married to Freddie Prinze Jr. since 2002. The pair appeared together in Scooby-Doo as Daphne Blake and Fred Jones, making them an example of co-stars whose relationship did continue away from the cameras.
Boreanaz married Jaime Bergman in 2001. That made the proposed kiss less a nostalgic reunion pose and more an invitation to create an awkward conversation for several people who had not asked for one.
Buffy and Angel’s relationship remains a major part of the show’s legacy, but Gellar’s answer drew a straightforward distinction between performers and their characters. Evidently, three decades of fan interest still does not turn a television script into a real-life arrangement.
What Gellar and Boreanaz said onstage
The reunion continued during the Emmys ceremony, where Gellar and Boreanaz joked about their characters and a proposed sequel pilot that was not picked up.
“I always thought Buffy and Angel would end up together,” Boreanaz said.
“I guess we won’t find out,” Gellar replied.
The pair also used their appearance to remember members of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast who had died during what Gellar described as a difficult two years. Since February 2025, the production had lost Michelle Trachtenberg, Anthony Head and Nicholas Brendon.
“David and I would like to acknowledge that it has been a tough two years for our beloved cast and crew, and we feel very lucky to have known and worked with such amazing people,” Gellar said.
The tribute gave the reunion a more sombre purpose beyond revisiting Buffy and Angel’s romance. With the series approaching its 30th anniversary, the actors balanced nostalgia for the show with recognition of the colleagues they had lost.
Other stars have challenged red carpet behaviour
Gellar is not the only actor to object when photographers have crossed personal boundaries at major events.
At the Cannes Film Festival in 2025, Denzel Washington told a photographer to “stop it” after the person appeared to grab him during a red carpet exchange.
David Corenswet also intervened when a photographer put their hands on his Superman co-star Milly Alcock, apparently trying to move her aside for a clearer photograph of him.
Such incidents have renewed criticism of how celebrities are treated during tightly managed public appearances. Photographers need usable pictures, while performers remain human beings rather than movable scenery or characters available for spontaneous romantic reenactments.
Gellar handled her encounter without escalating it. She answered the request, defended Boreanaz’s marriage and returned to posing beside him. The cameras still got their reunion photographs, just without the kiss nobody involved had agreed to provide.
