One photo was all it took for rumors to start saying "Cougar Town" star Josh Hopkins was dating Jennifer Aniston -- rumors Hopkins now calls "dirty and invasive."
Hopkins, who swears he and Jen are just friends, tells Parade "That was really, really weird and hurtful. I've been working in this business for a long time and it's the first time I've ever found myself caught up in the middle of tabloid journalism. It was eye opening to see that a publication could pick up a story from a completely fabricated, unnamed source and create a so-called story. It was just because of one picture."
Josh adds, "It just felt dirty and invasive. It gave me so much empathy for real celebrities, people that have lived with this frenzied scrutiny for their entire life."
Despite taking a dig at the tabloid, Hopkins does admit to gossiping on set, but only when it's "something really bizarre, that it's almost funny, comes out. Like 'Courteney Cox has three-headed baby.'"
Check out more from Hopkins at Parade.com.
