Gillian Anderson Explains Infamous David Duchovny Emmys Kiss

Gillian Anderson is finally opening up about why she chose to celebrate her 1997 Emmy Awards win by sharing a kiss with her X-Files co-star David Duchovny before her boyfriend at the time, Rodney Rowland.

Clips of that 27-year-old cultural moment have recently recirculated on TikTok and Reddit, among other platforms. In it, Anderson can be seen leaning in for a quick kiss from Duchovny, who was seated behind her at the ceremony, after her name is read. It was only after the peck from Duchovny that she leaned in for a smooch from Rowland despite him being seated directly next to her.

Though Anderson mistook the 1997 Emmy Awards for that years Golden Globes at first, she nonetheless shared her thoughts on the kiss in a TikTok video posted last week.

you guys said you needed answers pic.twitter.com/5hAtQ0MKpr

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you guys said you needed answers pic.twitter.com/5hAtQ0MKpr
Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) August 2, 2024

After joking that Rowland was her beard, or fake romantic partner, the actor suggested her reasons for kissing Duchovny stemmed from their close professional ties.

I dont know why I kissed him first, she said. I guess because he was on the show with me and we were practically married because we spent more time with each other than we did with our loved ones. We were there to celebrate the series. So yeah, maybe thats what it was.

Anderson went to to note that Rowland wasnt perturbed by the moment.

Rodney was a great guy, she said. I dont think that it bothered him. He understood.

Anderson and Duchovnys real-life relationship has been a hot topic among X-Files fans for years. Much of it was likely tied to their characters, FBI special agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, whose platonic bond slowly evolved into a full-blown romance over the course of the science fiction series.