What Went Wrong? See Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler’s Relationship Timeline Leading to Their Split

September 2011

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.

December 2011

Vanessa and Austin fueled rumors by getting handsy during a trip to Miami together.

December 2012

They can’t stop, won’t stop packing on the PDA! The pair used a Lakers game to go public with their romance. They looked very sweet sitting on the sidelines and smooching.

February 2012

The gorgeous duo put the rumors to rest when they made their first red carpet appearance for the premiere of Vanessa’s flick Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in Los Angeles.

May 2012

After letting the world know about their love, Austin and Vanessa enjoy a slew of outings around Los Angeles, including this fun day date to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire.

September 2012

The couple stepped out looking glam again at the Venice Film Festival.

March 2013

Austin did not attend the premiere of Vanessa’s movie Spring Breakers with Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine, but he proved that their relationship is still going strong. “I’m home sick, but sending tons of love to everyone at the Spring Breakers premiere! Especially the beautiful girl in the feather dress,” the actor gushed on Twitter about his absence at the time.

December 2013

They moved their relationship online and became Instagram official after over a year of dating. “We may be rowdy but man we have fun. Love these people with all my heart. Thanks [Hillsong Church] for my new home,” Vanessa captioned a photo of a group of friends, which included her boyfriend.

December 2013

Vanessa turned 25 and her handsome beau was right by her side to celebrate.

January 2014

Awards season, baby! The starlets attended a Golden Globes party hosted by Netflix together — and looked gorgeous doing it.

April 2014

Vanessa considers herself the queen of Coachella and it looked like Austin fit right in as her music festival king.

August 2014

Vanessa shared the sweetest birthday tribute for the actor on his big day. “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 on Instagram. “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.”

September 2014

Austin suffered the loss of his mom from cancer. “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,” he wrote on Twitter about her death.

Out of support, Vanessa retweeted his post and added, “I miss you already mama. #ripLoriButler #celebrateLori Spread the love for Lori.”

November 2014

Every year, fans anxiously await to see what Vanessa and Austin’s over-the-top Halloween costume will be. This cute throwback proves that they’ve always loved dressing up together.

August 2015

Austin *finally* launched his Instagram this month and one of his first few photos included this beautiful shot of his girlfriend. The actress also mentioned her beau’s arrival to the social media platform. “[Stella Hudgens] and I welcome our family member [Austin Butler] to the INSTAGRAM TRIBE!!!!!” she wrote a few weeks after he joined.

December 2014

Too cute! Austin and Vanessa celebrated the holidays together right before they rang in 2015.

May 2015

Between Vanessa working on Gigi on Broadway and Austin’s busy schedule, the two weren’t able to see each other a ton. “Ugh. I miss him. MTV stop hogging him. LOL,” the brunette beauty wrote on Instagram.

July 2015

The adventurous couple documented their trip to Africa and yep, they saw a lion.

August 2015

They seem over-the-moon about each other! “He makes me happy. And it’s his birthday,” Vanessa swooned over her handsome man for his birthday.

February 2016

They have always been super supportive of each other’s careers. After Vanessa appeared in Grease Live, Austin took to Twitter to rave about her performance. “WOW [Vanessa Hudgens] singing ‘Worst Things’ had me in tears. Just brilliant #GreaseLive,” he wrote.

March 2016

Too hot to handle! Vanessa was a lucky lady and she knew it. “What’s the male version of fox? Stud? I don’t know but I can’t handle it. My family is too beautiful,” she captioned a photo of Austin on Instagram.

May 2016

“When you and your mans hair is on point,” Vanessa quipped on Instagram over her and Austin’s luscious locks.

July 2016

The pair jetted off to Italy for some fun. Vanessa added the hashtag “most handsome man alive” when she shared this cuddled up selfie.

August 2016

Vanessa’s admiration for her boyfriend kept on flowing. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE … [Austin Butler] you make life better … Happy 25th birthday, baby,” she captioned a sweet photo of the two.

March 2017

Although the couple seemed to be in a good place, relationships are full of ups and downs. “Missing this guy,” the starlet captioned a photo of the two smooching on Instagram and added the hashtag, “long distance sucks.”

November 2017

The couple fought through the long distance and had a very cute few months. In August, Vanessa wished the “love of her life” another happy birthday and posted about her “handsome” man multiple times. They also had a very fun Halloween month filled with lots of costumes and friends. “I [think] [you’re] freeky [sic] and I like you a lot,” Austin wrote on Instagram about his lady love. 

December 2017

Vanessa sparked engagement rumors when this mirror selfie seemingly showed her wearing a ring on ~that~ finger. “Guysssss. I’m not engaged! 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,” she later wrote to deny rumors.

February 2018

They may not have been engaged, but they were still just as smitten with each other. “Our 6th Valentine’s Day and it blows me away how madly in love I am with you all these years later,” the Princess Switch star adorably wrote on Instagram.

November 2018

Will they or won’t they? Vanessa opened up about her future plans, which included marriage, but she still wanted to wait a little bit. “I want to get married, travel, then have kids — probably in my late 30s … everyone’s clock is different,” she told Women’s Health at the time. She also talked a bit about Austin and noted that he “inspires me more than anyone.”

December 2018

Austin came out to support Vanessa during the world premiere of her movie Second Act with Jennifer Lopez. Later that month, the actress divulged that he was her “rock” during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

April 2018

The support is mutual! After Austin made his debut in the play The Iceman Cometh, Vanessa swooned over her talented man after opening night. “He’s all I see. [Austin Butler] so proud of my sweetheart,” she wrote on Instagram.

February 2019

After celebrating Vanessa’s birthday together in December, the couple rang in another huge milestone with their 7-year anniversary. “The only one I have eyes for,” the former Disney kid captioned one photo of the two sharing a kiss. She also added, “[Seven] years strong,” to a separate post.

June 2019

It was a big few months for Austin’s career. In June, they attended the premiere of his movie The Dead Don’t Die starring Selena Gomez and Bill Murray.

July 2019

The following month, the pair attended the premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Austin stars as a character named Tex Watson.

August 2019

Everything seemed great amid Austin’s birthday. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY … to my love, my other half, my constant inspiration and supporter. My best friend. My everything. [Austin Butler] 28 is going to be [fire emoji],” Vanessa wrote on Instagram.

Vanessa exclusively spoke with Life & Style this same month and dished on the secrets to the longevity of her relationship. “Communication, trust and patience,” she explained at the Weedmaps Museum of Weed grand opening on August 1.

December 2019

Although Austin and Vanessa spent Halloween together, fans noticed that he was absent from her feed after that. The starlet raised a few eyebrows when she seemingly didn’t spend the holidays with her beau and took a trip without him to Switzerland.

January 2020

It’s over! “Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up, and Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup,” Us Weekly reported about the couple. Neither of them has issued a statement about their split but time will tell what happens between the exes.

Austin Speaks!

While Austin had remained private about the pair’s split after nine years together, he addressed it during a May 2022 interview by explaining, “Life is full of changes, and you’ve got to find a way to constantly be evolving and growing.”