Can’t help falling in love! As Austin Butler eyes the coveted Best Actor Oscar for Elvis, FEMAIL reveals his star-studded relationship history
- Austin Butler, 31, is among the nominees for Best Actor at this year’s Oscars
- The star has dated famous faces such as Vanessa Hudgens and Olivia DeJonge
- Here, FEMAIL has laid bare the extent of his very colorful relationship history
Austin Butler has been caught up in the Oscars buzz this year due to his show-stopping performance in Elvis.
He won Best Actor at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs so the odds to also take home the trophy at the Academy Awards on Sunday are certainly in his favor.
And it seems he’s just as successful with the ladies.
Butler started dating High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens early on in his acting career but they split up after almost nine years.
Victorious: Butler won Best Actor at the Golden Globes (pictured) and BAFTAs so the odds to also take home the trophy at the Academy Awards on Sunday are certainly in his favor
The star would go on to have brief flings with Olivia DeLonge and Lily-Rose Depp.
He has since started dating Cindy Crawford’s model daughter, Kaia Gerber, and the couple still seem to be going strong.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look back at Butler’s very colorful relationship history.
Butler found long-term love with Vanessa Hudgens but the pair split after nearly nine years
Butler and Vanessa Hudgens made their red carpet debut in 2012 (pictured left) and supported each other throughout their career, including Butler’s red carpet for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (pictured right in 2019)
Butler and Vanessa Hudgens met through their connections to High School Musical.
DailyMail.com reported that the two were introduced on the set of the renowned franchise back in 2005.
It is possible that he was filming as a background actor, which is not always credited, but alternatively could have been recording Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide on a nearby set.
His best friend and Hudgens’ co-star Ashley Tisdale also may have brought him around.
Regardless, Hudgens was still dating Zac Efron at the time so nothing happened between the two then.
But, fast forward to 2010, when she and Efron split due to conflicting work schedules.
Just a short time later Butler and Tisdale worked on HSM spinoff Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure and in September, he and Hudgens were spotted sharing a kiss.
Butler and Hudgens (pictured in 2013) met on the set of High School Musical and started dating six years later
The high-profile duo (pictured in 2014) went Instagram official when Vanessa penned a sweet post for his birthday
Butler spoke publicly about their relationship for the first time in 2015 (pictured together that year) when he said it was ‘important to put that other person first’
In the following year, they would share another public peck in Miami, attend a Lakers game together and make their red carpet debut as a couple.
They went Instagram official in 2014 when she penned a sweet post for his birthday.
‘Yesterday was the love of my life’s birthday. Happy birthday to the man with the kindest heart, beautiful soul, crazy talent and best looks I’ve ever seen,’ she wrote.
She added: ‘He never stops inspiring me in every aspect of life and always lifts those around him up higher. I thank god so greatly for blessing the world 23 years ago by creating Austin Butler.’
A year later, he spoke publicly about their relationship for the first time in 2015.
‘It’s important to put that other person first,’ he said to ET.
‘If you’re constantly looking for ways that you can make them happy, and they’re constantly looking for ways that they can make you happy, then you kind of lift each other up as much as possible and you can’t go wrong,’ he added.
As the two continued to work on their own projects, they had to contend with the distance and strict scheduling but seemed to overcome the struggles.
‘Just communication, communication is key,’ Hudgens said to People when speaking about how they make long distance work.
‘I think that if anything’s bothering you, don’t hold it in. Always bring it up and just talk about it. Un-censor yourself and just be open,’ she continued.
In fact, fans thought they were doing so well that engagement rumors started circulating in 2017 when she posted a selfie with a ring on her left finger.
‘Guysssss. I’m not engaged!’ she tweeted at the time. ‘I posted a pic. Not to show off my ring that I happened to throw on that finger after a long day of filming but to show off my haircut lol.’
They continued to support each other with Hudgens appearing on the red carpet with Butler for his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019.
‘Just communication, communication is key,’ Hudgens said to People of how the couple (pictured in 2016) made long distance work
Fans thought they were doing so well that engagement rumors started circulating in 2017 when she posted a selfie with a ring on her left finger
Heartbreak: But by January 2020, things had taken a turn for the worst – and the pair parted ways
But by January 2020, things had taken a turn for the worst – and the pair parted ways.
Neither has spoken publicly about their split, a source spoke to People saying that their busy work and travel schedules put a strain on their relationship.
‘They really loved each other and have been through some of their toughest life moments together,’ the source 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,’ they added.
However, that doesn’t mean the drama between the two stopped there. While co-hosting Live With Kelly and Ryan, Hudgens explained that she brought the idea of him playing Elvis into the universe.
‘It’s so crazy because last December, we were driving along and we were listening to Christmas music, and then an Elvis Presley Christmas song came on,’ she recalled.
‘He had just dyed his hair dark — he’s a natural blonde — and I was looking at him and he was singing along and I was like, “Babe, you need to play Elvis,”‘ she went on. ‘”I don’t know how, but I’m serious. You need to play him.”‘
She continued: ‘Then in January, he was sitting at the piano — he’s a musician — and he’s playing and he’s singing and I’m like, I don’t know how, but you need to figure out how you can play Elvis. Like, I don’t know how we get rights or what we do, but you need to play him.’
However, when Butler told the story, he said it was just a friend who had told him he should play Elvis as opposed to his girlfriend of nearly nine years.
After some fan outrage, he did admit that ‘friend’ was indeed his former flame.
‘That’s right. I was with my partner at the time,’ Butler replied after the LA Times questioned him on the matter.
‘[Hudgens and I had] been together for so long, she had this sort of clairvoyant moment and so I really, I owe her a lot for believing in me,’ he said.
He and Olivia DeJonge played on-screen lovers in Elvis… but the chemistry was not all scripted
Butler and Olivia DeJonge appeared to be enjoying more than just a scripted romance, having played Elvis and Priscilla Presley in the biographical drama
Butler and Olivia DeJonge had undeniable on-screen chemistry when they played Elvis and Priscilla Presley in the biographical drama.
But, for a few months, it appeared to be more than just a scripted romance.
‘For us, we wanted to hone in on the simplicity of the relationship and the beginnings of it just being very pure, and the sort of like, Bonnie and Clyde aspect of it,’ DeJonge told Lifehacker.
‘You know, it was sort of them against the world for a little while there and we really wanted to play with that idea and play with the chemistry,’ she added.
She also said she had great admiration for how he played the role.
‘He really threw himself into that role like nothing that I’d ever seen before,’ DeJonge said.
‘It was incredible. He sort of transcended in front of our eyes, and it was electric.’
Beach date: DeJonge had wet hair as she was wrapped in a towel while he went shirtless with a pair of board shorts before the two laid beside each other
‘It was incredible. He sort of transcended in front of our eyes, and it was electric,’ DeJonge said of how her on-screen partner (pictured together in the film)
However, the two never publicly commented on their relationship and it seemed to fizzle out once filming for Elvis wrapped
Rumors that Butler and DeJonge were dating first emerged in January 2020 when they were spotted looking cozy at a Melbourne movie theatre.
Then, DailyMail.com took photos of the pair sitting side-by-side on a beach in November of that year.
DeJonge had wet hair as she was wrapped in a towel while he went shirtless with a pair of board shorts.
In another snap, the two laid beside each other. Butler had one hand on his own leg and another that seemed to be resting on DeJonge.
However, the two never publicly commented on their relationship and it seemed to fizzle out once filming for Elvis wrapped.
Butler wasted little time in finding a new love – but DeJonge appears to still be single.
Butler shared a steamy date with Lily-Rose Depp ‘filled with make-out sessions’
Butler and Lily-Rose Depp appeared to enjoy a very steamy fling after a two-hour dinner date in London
Butler and Lily-Rose Depp were first introduced at a Sundance Film Festival event in 2016 when he was still with Hudgens.
But the pair would reconnect five years later for a brief fling.
In July 2021, DailyMail.com exclusively obtained pictures of the Butler and Depp on a steamy date night.
The pair arrived to a swanky restaurant in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes alongside a male friend.
They enjoyed a two-hour dinner before they were later seen hugging and kissing after being left alone.
Depp cut a casual figure for the outing, donning a black jacket which she paired with dark jeans.
Butler also opted for a laid back look as he sported a khaki bomber jacket with a pair of light blue jeans.
The pair went for a stroll near the river late in the evening before they were seen departing in a taxi just after midnight.
In spite of their one steamy night, the two were not spotted together again.
Since then, both of them have moved on. Depp started dating French rapper Yassine Stein in November 2021 and Butler soon went public with his next romance.
Butler and Kaia Gerber have not been shy about PDAs since going public
Butler and current girlfriend Kaia Gerber have been together for a little over a year and are still going strong
Butler and Kaia Gerber have been together for a little over a year and are still going strong.
They seemingly started dating in December 2021 when they were spotted attending a yoga class together.
DailyMail.com exclusively obtained photos of the pair leaving the class in Los Angeles.
The two kept it casual and held boxed waters as they headed towards Gerber’s car with Butler beaming from ear to ear.
The next time they were seen together was on Valentine’s Day in 2022. In photos snapped by Just Jared, the duo were taking a stroll through London holding coffee and snacks.
They made their first official public appearance together at the W Magazine party in March 2022 and their red carpet debut came two months later at the Met Gala.
They made their first official public appearance together at the W Magazine party in March 2022 and their red carpet debut came two months later at the Met Gala (pictured above)
They went all out with a PDA later that month as they shared a smooch on the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Elvis
They went all out with a PDA later that month as they shared a smooch on the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Elvis.
Their love has seemingly only been going from strength to strength and the duo have since appeared on a magazine cover.
For V Magazine’s VMAN shoot, Butler posed as Elvis. While Gerber was not fully visible, her arms – along with her ‘I know’ tattoo – were wrapped around his neck in the shot.
She has been extremely supportive of Butler amid his success with Elvis and, after he gave his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, she was seen giving him a celebratory smooch.
The model also stood by his side at Lisa Marie Presley’s memorial.
She recently said that Butler had helped her realize the importance of prioritizing her personal life in addition to her career.
She told People: ‘I think, it’s so important people are realizing how important their happiness is outside of work, when you don’t have all these outside resources to gain happiness from, where that internal happiness comes from.’
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