Austin Butler Reveals Why He’s Not Dating GF Kaia Gerber

by James · March 13, 2023

Bro! Austin Butler explained why he did not attend the 2023 Oscars with his girlfriend Kaia Gerber – and why he brought his best friend as a date instead.

is talking to Ashley Graham on Sunday, March 12, on the champagne carpet of the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, the 31-year-old Elvis star explained that she loves her longtime boyfriend James Farrell “next to me.”

“I have my best friend here with me, who’s also my agent,” she told the 35-year-old model, who co-hosted ABC’s pre-show with Butler’s ex. Vanessa Hudgens. “And I owe my career to him, so as a thank you I wanted him by my side tonight.”

Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock ; Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Butler – who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film Baz Luhrmannhis titular biopic about the late Elvis Presley — opened up about his friendship with Farrell in a red carpet interview Fun tonight.

“We met when we were 17 years old. James worked at the agency as an assistant, I just did small TV shows, and then we grew up together.” The Carrie Diaries alum shared. “He’s the guy I turn to with all my business and questions.”

Farrell, for his part, said he would be sobbing with pride during the performance. “He’s my best friend to work with,” he said of Butler.

Meanwhile, Gerber attended the premiere of his film Bottoms at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas on Saturday, March 11.

The couple first sparked romance rumors in late 2021 Us Weekly confirming their relationship in December after they were spotted attending a yoga class.

Although the couple has mostly remained tight-lipped about their romance, they packed on the PDA at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in May. Gerbert, 21, was photographed with the Golden Globe winner on the red carpet. Elvis.

In December 2021, the duo was spotted on a getaway to Cabo San Lucas with Kaia’s parents. Cindy Crawford and Date Gerberand his brother Presley Gerber. A month later, they were spotted calming down after the event Sharpay’s Big Adventure actor received the 2023 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama.

Before her romance with Gerber, Butler dated Hudgens, 34, from 2011 to 2020 — and credited her with inspiring him to play Elvis.

“A month before I heard Baz was doing the film, I was going to look at Christmas lights with a friend and there was an Elvis Christmas song on the radio and I was singing along and my friend looked at me and walked away. “You have to play Elvis,” he revealed The Hollywood Reporter‘s Actors Round Table earlier this year, later clarified the Los Angeles Times that his friend was his “companion at the time”.

“I said, ‘Oh, that’s how far it goes,'” he recalled. “A few weeks later I was already playing the piano. I never actually sang to any of my friends. The same friend was there and I played the piano. He said, “I’m serious.” You have to figure out how to get the rights to the screenplay. Then my agent called me and said, “So, Baz Luhrmann is making an Elvis movie.”

Conversation a LA Timesrevealed that she and Hudgens had “been together for so long and she had this kind of epiphany, and so I really — I owe her a lot for believing in me.”

For her part, Kaia was in several high-profile relationships before dating Butler, among others Jacob Elordi, Pete Davidson and more.