A cute match. Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber‘s relationship became a topic of conversation in late 2021 — and the couple’s connection has only heated up since then.
Butler and Gerber first sparked romance rumors in December 2021 after they were spotted attending a yoga class together. At the time, a source exclusively revealed to Us Weekly that the pair were dating, adding, “It’s still very new.”
Five months later, the actor and the model reached a major milestone when they made their red carpet debut at the 2022 Met Gala. Gerber celebrated the Gilded Age theme with an Alexander McQueen metallic gown while the Nickelodeon alum chose an all-black Prada suit for the big event.
Ahead of their romance, the duo previously made headlines with their respective past partners. One month before being linked with Butler, Us confirmed that Gerber split from Jacob Elordi. The exes, who were first linked in September 2020, dated for one year before pulling the plug on their relationship.
The Euphoria actor later reflected on the time that he shared with Gerber. “She handles herself wonderfully publicly,” the Australia native told Men’s Health during an interview in December 2021, noting that he “learned so much” from the American Horror Stories star about dealing with fame. “[She taught me] how to deal with it and just kind of be whatever about it, you know?”
Gerber also praised Elordi for the way that he changed her outlook on dating. “Being able to be with someone I trust, where we don’t want anything from each other, having a safe, steady relationship like that, has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of love and what it feels like to love without conditions,” the California native told Vogue in May 2021. “Lust is touching other people or wanting them, but love is really seeing someone.”
Cindy Crawford‘s daughter explained that her fast-paced career affected her view on romance. “I found myself in situations where I was, like, I actually don’t have the life experience that I need to handle this,” Gerber shared with the outlet. “You know, I was doing fashion month, but I was so young I had kissed, like, only one person. I had never had a high school sweetheart or anything.”
Gerber, who was briefly linked to Pete Davidson in January 2020, noted that she wound up dating “older people” because of her lifestyle. “I got put in situations where one day I’d wake up and be like, How did I get here? I have no idea what I’m doing, and I need help,” she continued. “And being able to ask for that help was amazing. That’s what real growing up means, not being afraid to ask.”
Butler, for his part, was previously in a relationship with Vanessa Hudgens for nine years. In January 2020, Us confirmed that the twosome had parted ways. After their split, the Carrie Diaries alum praised the impact that his ex-girlfriend had on his career.
“I was actually driving up through Griffith Park and Elvis’s ‘Blue Christmas’ came on,” Butler, who will be playing the role of Elvis Prestley in an upcoming biopic, told Vogue in April 2022 about a conversation with Hudgens. “I was singing along with it when my friend had kind of an epiphany: ‘You need to play Elvis.’”
Scroll down to relive Butler and Gerber’s adorable romance: