“I mean, it’s great because Austin was my best friend since way before they got together, so it’s just nice to have your two best friends be in a relationship,” she said. Tisdale added that she and her husband Christopher French often went on double dates with Hudgens and Butler. Butler supported his girlfriend on Twitter writing, “WOW @VanessaHudgens singing ‘Worst Things’ had me in tears. Just brilliant #GreaseLive.” In the spring of 2013, Hudgens and Butler took a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and PEOPLE reported that they “couldn’t keep their hands off each other.” Due to their busy schedules and the demands of both of their respective acting careers, their relationship was often long distance — something Hudgens spoke candidly about. Over the years she has written for The Travel, The Talko, Baby Gaga, and Moms — as well as BuzzFeed Community.
August 18, 2014: Hudgens’ birthday message to Butler cemented them as a couple.
Kaia, the 20-year-old daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and business guru Rande Gerber, has seemingly fallen head over heels for Austin Butler. He’s a 30-year-old actor known best for his role in Switched at Birth and his former long-term relationship with High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens and is now being thrown into the headlines as Kaia’s Granniestomeet classic new main-squeeze. Their relationship is a very new one, but there’s already lots of buzz surrounding their new romance. “And we’re OFF!!!! To the @onceinhollywood premiere with my man of the hour @austinbutler,” she captioned the post. On Valentine’s Day, Hudgens posted a sweet Instagram tribute that celebrated their seven-year romance.
After Hudgens shares a photo of their etched names on Instagram, the post sparks investigations from the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. Hudgens later deletes the photo and pays a $1,000 fine for vandalization. “Life is full of changes,” he simply says, “and you’ve got to find a way to constantly be evolving and growing.” “The public only sees so much. I’ve also been through two very long life-changing relationships, and no one really knows what happened except for me,” she says, adding, “When I write my memoir, it’ll be amazing.” First linked in 2011 through High School Musical costar Ashley Tisdale, Hudgens and Butler are one of the celebrity couples who’ve left a lasting mark on pop culture. Leena is a writer and editor that has a passion for life and keeps her finger on the pulse of current news and events.
August 2014
Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker went Instagram official with their relationship on Valentine’s Day in 2021. As of this writing, Butler and Hudgens are still apart, and it definitely doesn’t seem like they’re getting back together. Butler and Hudgens have clearly moved on since their shocking split.
September 12, 2022: Vanessa Hudgens discusses her “life-changing” relationships
In September 2011, Hudgens was spotted cozying up to Butler at a birthday party for Ashley Tisdale’s sister, Jennifer. Butler had just recently starred in Disney’s Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure alongside Tisdale. Since their breakup, Butler has been linked to model Kaia Gerber while Hudgens found love again with professional baseball player Cole Tucker. The actors were first linked in 2011, and went on to share plenty of sweet moments throughout their romance, including joint red carpet appearances, Coachella weekends and romantic vacations. “They really loved each other and have been through some of their toughest life moments together,” the insider said. “Busy work schedules and travel definitely put a strain on the relationship. They were a wonderful couple, and it’s really sad that it didn’t work out.”
Years later, Butler retold that same story during The Hollywood Reporter’s Actors Roundtable — but with one major difference. He refrained from mentioning Hudgens by name, instead referring to her as a “friend.” In 2019, while appearing on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Hudgens recounted the time she and Butler were in the car singing along to an Elvis Presley Christmas song. In an interview with GQ ahead of the release of Elvis, Butler made a rare comment about his breakup with Hudgens.
W Magazine later shared a cute photo of Butler giving Gerber a kiss on the cheek inside the event. In December, PEOPLE reported that Gerber and Butler were spending time together ahead of the holidays. Amid their rumored romance, a source added that Gerber was enjoying her time with the Elvis actor, noting, “She seems really happy. All of her friends think he’s really cute.” However, Butler and Hudgens split once filming began in Australia in early 2020.
But the former couple is still on good terms and sources say there’s hope they could rekindle their love. Fans began to speculate about a romance in August 2021, when Butler was seen kissing Lily-Rose Depp in London. However, it seems the relationship was short-lived because it never progressed any further.
At the MTV Music Awards, Butler spoke to Entertainment Tonight about his relationship and revealed how he and Hudgens made it work. From supporting each others’ careers to dressing up in iconic Halloween costumes, here is a complete timeline of Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler’s relationship. “Just communication, communication is key,” the actress told PEOPLE in 2017 about how she and Butler made it work. Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler dated for over eight years before they called it quits in 2020.
Even on the international kissing day, she posted a cute picture of them kissing, on her social media account. Not to forget to mention their stunning appearance at the Unicef Summer Gala. She celebrated her then-boyfriend, Austin’s 28th birthday grandly. In brief, throughout this year, Vanessa and Austin shared pictures on Instagram and fans couldn’t keep their eyes off of them. “They’re just shooting on two different continents and it’s a matter of distance,” another insider told E! At the time, Vanessa was in Europe filming The Princess Switch 2, while Austin was in Australia filming Elvis.
In a video clip by ET, Hudgens walks past her ex, who she notices before walking away. Butler, chatting with Sharon Stone, notices Hudgens as she walks by. The Zoey 101 alum shared his first-ever Instagram post of Hudgens, in which she was pictured in a stunning sun-filled shot. “It’s important to put that other person first,” Butler tells the outlet. The two accidentally get in trouble with the law after carving their names into a red rock during a trip to Sedona, Arizona.
Rumors first started swirling about Vanessa and Austin after they were spotted kissing. Although they were caught in a full liplock, both of their reps denied that the two were an item. The “Spring Breakers” actor did, however, make a one word comment on his Elvis impression that has stuck with Butler since filming the movie wrapped up. Hudgens replied with the word “crying” when an Instagram user poked fun of Butler’s Elvis accent with the comment, “He went to the Lady Gaga school of Oscar campaign acting.” Of course, she was the one to encourage the star to go after an Elvis role if one was ever to come about. Two years after Austin Butler and Vanessa Hudgens called it quits on their eight year romance, the pair briefly touched upon their relationship in separate interviews.