Nothing Quite Illustrates The 10-Year Age Gap Between Austin Butler And Kaia Gerber Like This Photo Of Her Meeting His Ex Vanessa Hudgens In 2007

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Whether you know him as the actor who plays Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film, Elvis, or — like me — as the school hottie in every late-2000s children's TV show, this is Austin Butler.

Austin holding his Golden Globe and smiling
Frazer Harrison / WireImage

Recently, a TikTok showing photos of Austin's ex-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens and current girlfriend Kaia Gerber meeting for the first time went viral. Now, you might be wondering why such a seemingly innocent and, tbh, random interaction would garner such a reaction. Well, allow me to give you some backstory...

Vanessa smiling in a sparkly bandeau and jacket and Kaia in a sleeveless, high-neck top
Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for A Sense of Home, Robino Salvatore / GC Images / Getty Images

Austin and Vanessa met on the set of High School Musical and started dating a couple of years later, in 2011. They were together for eight years and reportedly called it quits in early 2020.

Vanessa and Austin hugging
David Crotty / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

In late 2021, Austin and Kaia began sparking dating rumors before making things official at the 2022 Met Gala.

Austin and Kaia posing at the Met Gala
Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images for the Met Museum/Vogue

Austin and Kaia have a 10-year age gap: He is 31 and she is 21. In that viral TikTok, some old pictures from the High School Musical 2 red carpet were unearthed, and...well...nothing illustrates just how big their age gap is better than these photos.

Samantha from Sex and the City lifts her sunglasses to see better
Samantha from Sex and the City lifts her sunglasses to see better

HBO Max

Pictured below is Austin's ex-girlfriend Vanessa — who was 19 at the time — meeting his now-girlfriend Kaia, who was just 6 years old.

Vanessa crouching to shake Kaia's hand on the red carpet
Gregg Deguire / WireImage

Like, let's take a moment to process this. Kaia — a literal child — who was probably as obsessed with Vanessa singing Breaking Free as I was in 2007, is being brought out to meet Vanessa by her MOM — who, of course, is Cindy Crawford — because she's too young to be there alone!

The same photo of them with captions for Vanessa — "Literally an adult" — and Kaia: "An actual child who is probably still losing teeth"
Gregg Deguire / WireImage

Here's another view of them together so you can really soak in the fact that Kaia is currently just two years older than Vanessa was in these photos.

Vanessa, Cindy Crawford, Kaia, and another child on the red carpet with Minnie Mouse

Kaia, bestie, I'd like to recommend that you give "Dear John" and "Would've, Could've, Should've" by Taylor Swift a goooood listen.

Charley Gallay / Getty Images

Listen, I am not joking when I say my jaw dropped when I first saw this video. And given the comments on it, it seems like I'm not alone in that.

Comment: I thought you meant the other adult but you mean the child???
@donovannochedanclub / TikTok
Comment: Kaia Gerber as in Gerber the baby
@jubiefresh / TikTok
  @breadavies / TikTok
@breadavies / TikTok

You can watch the TikTok for yourself here. H/T: @notskinnybutnotfat.