His lips are sealed! Austin Butler was asked about his split from ex Vanessa Hudgens — and about his budding romance with Kaia Gerber — but the actor wasn’t ready to spill any secrets.
Butler, 30, spoke candidly about preparing to embody rock icon Elvis Presley in the upcoming biopic Elvis, telling GQ in a cover story published on Wednesday, May 25, that he started to “lose touch” with himself after taking on the tough role. When the conversation turned to his breakup with Hudgens, 33, the Carrie Diaries alum “politely” avoided giving a straight answer.
“Life is full of changes, and you’ve got to find a way to constantly be evolving and growing,” he told the outlet.
The former couple were together for nearly nine years before Us Weekly exclusively confirmed in January 2019 that they had called it quits. Butler and the High School Musical actress sparked breakup rumors when they appeared not to spend the holidays together the previous December.
Ahead of their split, Hudgens gushed over the California native for scoring the role of a lifetime in the Baz Luhrmann-directed Elvis flick. “I AMMMM OVERRRR THE F–KING MOOOOOOOOONNNNN,” she wrote via Instagram in July 2019. “I CANT WAIT 😍😍😍😍😍😍 SO PROUD OF MY HONEYYYYY!!!”
The now-exes began dating in September 2011, with the singer revealing to Women’s Health seven years later that the pair weren’t in a rush to get married. “Everyone’s clock is different,” she told the outlet in November 2018, noting that she and Butler “both respect, trust and admire each other.”
Following the end of her almost decade-long romance, the Second Act star joked that she wasn’t “picky” when it came to finding love again. “I know what I want and … if someone comes into the picture and can give me all those things, then great,” she told Entertainment Tonight in November 2020. “It doesn’t matter if they’re in the public eye or not. If anything, I prefer them not to be, but we’ll see.”
Hudgens moved on with MLB athlete Cole Tucker that same month. One year later, the Switched at Birth alum was first linked to Gerber, 20, when they were spotted attending a yoga class together. “It’s still very new,” a source exclusively told Us of the model’s romance with Butler.
The duo went on to make their red carpet debut at the 2022 Met Gala after months of keeping their relationship on the down low. During his GQ interview, Butler committed to maintaining the couple’s privacy.
“I don’t think there’s anything I want to share about that,” he said when asked about Gerber. “But thank you for providing the space.”
Cindy Crawford‘s daughter was briefly linked to Pete Davidson in early 2020 and dated Jacob Elordi from September 2020 to November 2021. Us broke the news on Tuesday, May 24, that the 24-year-old Euphoria actor is dating Olivia Jade Giannulli, whom he was first spotted with in December 2021.
