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 year’s 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

— 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 don’t 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 that’s what it was.”

Anderson went to to note that Rowland wasn’t perturbed by the moment.

“Rodney was a great guy,” she said. “I don’t think that it bothered him. He understood.”

Anderson and Duchovny’s 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.

Astrid Stawiarz via Getty Images

The actors themselves have appeared to relish some of the attention, too. In 2015, Duchovny invited Anderson to join him onstage in New York to celebrate the release of his debut album, “Hell or Highwater.” Upon taking the stage, Anderson greeted Duchovny with a kiss.

Speaking to TV Line shortly after the concert, Duchovny brushed off the renewed speculation.

“I see Gillian, I kiss her hello,” he explained. “She’s my friend. If somebody gets a picture of that, if it’s on stage and she comes up to sing with me, I’m going to kiss her hello.”

“You can have Mulder and Scully, and that’s gonna have to be enough,” he added.

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