Ever since the early days of The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) have been two of the franchise’s most popular characters. They’ve long had a close bond, but the relationship is not one that has ever gotten romantic… at least on-screen.

Per TVLine, Reedus and McBride weighed in on the speculated romance between Daryl and Carol. The actors were asked if Daryl and Carol have “ever hooked up,” and Reedus initially fired back, “That’s my mom you’re talking to!” However, Reedus also hinted that it’s possible, perhaps with the assistance of drug use. For her part, McBride said, “I don’t know. Maybe they have!” McBride also teased that she has her own ideas on what may or may not have happened between Daryl and Carol, but she’s choosing to keep that theory to herself.

As Reedus said, “She is pretty cool. Maybe they took some Molly one night and… who knows?“

“I like to have that in the back of my mind, and I will never tell what I think one way or the other,” McBride responded. “Neither no nor yeah. I just love where they are right now.”

I just love where they are right now.

Reedus went on to joke that “Carol made a move on Daryl, and then he started crying,” with McBride joking back, “And then he came to her tent and apologized.” She further teased that this was in fact the origin of the “Pookie” nickname Carol had given Daryl.

“That’s right. ‘Only if you call me Pookie!‘” as McBride put it.

Fans shipping Daryl and Carol should not expect to see a romantic progression of their relationship happening anytime soon. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol showrunner David Zabel recently commented on the possibility, and he suggested that he prefers the characters just the way they are, explaining why making them a couple would be a mistake.

“The obvious thing to do, and the easier thing to do, would be, ‘Okay, now they’re falling in love, and they’re a couple.’ But I always felt like that would be a mistake because it would feel like you were going into the TV book of tricks,” he said, per GamesRadar. “To me, there was never a question that [their connection] was something other than what it is, and what it seems to want to be, and why it works so well.”

Daryl and Carol’s Bond Will Be Explored in Their Walking Dead Spinoff

Reedus and McBride also recently spoke with CBR about how their characters’ bond will be further explored in the upcoming episodes of their Walking Dead spinoff series. They hinted that fans will get a better understanding about why the two characters “mean so much to one another” without having a romantic side to their relationship.

“When we started The Walking Dead, it was very much about Rick and his family,” Reedus explained. “Daryl and Carol always watched out for each other, sort of on the sidelines. I feel like all this time with this relationship and these two characters has been earned. It’s a real relationship through the ups and the downs and the people coming through it. They both come from a place of abuse, and it caused them to stick up for each other.”

McBride added, “You have that time to even explore these characters without one another and find out more about them and understand why they mean so much to one another.”

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol premieres on Sept. 29, 2024, on AMC and AMC+.