Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler: The Way They Were

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Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler: The Way They Were

Before their 2020 split, Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler were easily associated with the term “relationship goals.” According to the Daily Mail, the acting pair first crossed paths in 2005 on the set of High School Musical. At the time, sparks were flying between Hudgens and her costar Zac Efron, who she dated for five years before calling it quits in December 2010. When Hudgens reflected on her former romance with Efron, she noted how appreciative she was of the time they spent together. “It started off really organically. I could not have been more grateful to have that relationship at the time,” Hudgens said on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast in April 2019. “[High School Musical] was this massive phenomenon and [all] eyes were on me. And it’s just a really weird, foreign thing to go through,” she continued. “And by being in a relationship, it kind of kept me stabilized and grounded, and I had someone to lean on who was going through it as well.” [jwplayer kFy887aC-l3ahXupL] Nearly a year after her split from the Neighbors actor, Hudgens was spotted packing on PDA with Butler. Though the actors hadn’t addressed their rumored romance just yet, they eventually confirmed their relationship on their own terms. “Communication is key,” Hudgens told Access Hollywood in August 2018 the key to their successful romance. “It’s so easy to let things get lost in the shuffle or to, kind of, push things down because you don’t think they really bother you. But if anything even remotely bothers you, you gotta talk about it.” Three years earlier, the Carrie Diaries alum told Entertainment Tonight in August 2015 that he believes “it’s important to put that other person first” in a romantic relationship. “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. The Shannara Chronicles alum also gushed about his longtime love. In July 2019, he praised Hudgens for being an inspiration to him. “It’s hard for me to even put into words what that girl means to me,” he told E! News at the time. “I am so inspired by her every day and I just love her to my core.” Us Weekly exclusively confirmed on January 14, 2020, that Hudgens and Butler split after nearly nine years of dating. The pair had been “telling those close to her about their breakup,” a source said. Scroll down to see a look at the pair’s relationship over the years.

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September 2011

Hudgens and Butler sparked dating rumors when they were spotted kissing, but the stars’ reps denied relationship rumors.

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December 2011

The pair were caught kissing again, this time during a trip in Miami.

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January 2012

The couple went public with their romance when they locked lips while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. 

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February 2012

The former child stars made their red carpet debut while attending the premiere of Hudgens’ film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

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March 2013

Butler praised Hudgens via Twitter as she promoted her film Spring Breakers, writing: “I’m home sick, but sending tons of love to everyone at the Spring Breakers premiere! Especially the beautiful girl in the feather dress ;)”

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December 2013

The duo brought their romance to Instagram for the first time when the Second Act actress shared a group photo that featured Butler. “We may be rowdy but man we have fun. Love these people with all my heart. Thanks @hillsong for my new home,” she wrote at the time.

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December 2013

Hudgens had a lavish 25th birthday party, which she celebrated with Butler.

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August 2014

Hudgens honored her love with a sweet tribute for his 23rd birthday. “Yesterday was the love of my life’s birthday,” she wrote. “Happy birthday to the man with the kindest heart, beautiful soul, crazy talent and best looks I’ve ever seen. 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. 🎉🎂🎁”

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September 2014

Hudgens supported Butler when his mother, Lori Butler, died from cancer by retweeting his statement, which read, “Lori Butler, my mom, my hero, & my best friend passed away this morning. Let’s all celebrate her. I love you and will miss you every day Mom.”

In retweeting her beau’s message, Hudgens added a personal comment, writing, “I miss you already mama. #ripLoriButler #celebrateLori Spread the love for Lori.”

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August 2015

The Zoey 101 alum shared his first-ever Instagram post of Hudgens, in which she was pictured in a stunning sun-filled shot.

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February 2016

Butler praised Hudgens for her performance in Grease Live, tweeting: “WOW @VanessaHudgens singing 'Worst Things' had me in tears. Just brilliant #GreaseLive.”

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August 2015

Butler praised Hudgens for her performance in Grease Live, tweeting: “WOW @VanessaHudgens singing 'Worst Things' had me in tears. Just brilliant #GreaseLive.”

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March 2016

Hudgens shared a black-and-white headshot of Butler, calling the “stud” her “family.”

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March 2017

In honor of Man Crush Monday, Hudgens posted a photo to Instagram of the couple passionately kissing. She also noted in a hashtag that being “long distance sucks.”

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December 2017

When Hudgens shared a photo of her shorter hairdo, she sparked engagement speculation because the snap also showed a ring on her left hand. “And then this happened 😳💁🏻🎉 ✂️✂️ @mflyons,” she captioned the photo, later denying rumors that she was set to wed Butler.

“Guysssss. I’m not engaged! I posted a pic,” she wrote. “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.”

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February 2018

Hudgens and Butler celebrated their sixth Valentine’s Day together. At the time, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody alum noted “how madly in love” she was with her beau.

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November 2018

Hudgens opened up about the possibility of getting engaged to her longtime love. “I want to get married, travel, then have kids — probably in my late 30s,” she told Women’s Health at the time, noting that “everyone’s clock is different.” Speaking directly about Butler, she said that he “inspires me more than anyone.”

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December 2018

Hudgens revealed what date nights with Butler are like, telling Entertainment Tonight that they “usually don’t consist of as many cameras and more clothes.” She also regarded her beau as “a wonderful supporter” and called him her “rock.”

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February 2019

“7 years strong,” Hudgens captioned a photo of the pair on Valentine’s Day, marking a major relationship milestone. That same day, she also shared a Boomerang of themselves sweetly kissing while in water.

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July 2019

Hudgens supported Butler at the premiere of his Oscar-nominated film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. “And we’re OFF!!!! To the @onceinhollywood premiere with my man of the hour @austinbutler,” she captioned a pic of the pair heading to the star-studded affair.

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January 2020

Us Weekly broke the news that Hudgens and Butler called it quits after nearly nine years together. “Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up, and Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup,” a source said.

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April 2022

After Butler and Hudgens moved on with Kaia Gerber and Cole Tucker, respectively, the Elvis actor gave his ex a shout-out in his Vogue interview.

“I was actually driving up through Griffith Park and Elvis’s ‘Blue Christmas’ came on. I was singing along with it when my friend had kind of an epiphany: ‘You need to play Elvis,’” he told the magazine, confirming he was speaking about Hudgens.

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January 2023

After previously referring to his ex as the "friend" who encouraged him to pursue an Elvis project, Butler thanked Hudgens during an interview with The Los Angeles Times. "I was with my partner at the time," the Oscar nominee said while reflecting on how he came across Luhrmann's movie. "We'd been together for so long and she had this sort of clairvoyant moment and so I really, I owe her a lot for believing in me."

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March 2023

Hudgens and Butler were both in attendance at the 2023 Oscars, where he was nominated for Elvis. The twosome seemingly didn’t use the awards show as a chance for a reunion, however, as Hudgens was seen brushing past Butler outside of the Vanity Fair bash. In the video obtained by Us, the actress kept her head down and walked by as onlookers screamed the actor’s name during his chat with Sharon Stone.