How Exes Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler Awkwardly Avoided Each Other at the Oscars

Austin Butler and ex-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens did not have an awkward run-in at the 2023 Oscars, instead, they seamlessly avoided each other all night.

The exes walked the same champagne carpet at the 95th annual Academy Awards separately and solo, as neither brought their respective partners to the ceremony. (Butler is dating model Kaia Gerber, while Hudgens is engaged to MLB star Cole Tucker.)

While it wasn't likely they would run in to each other on the actual carpet, Hudgens was also a red carpet host, and spent the first half of the evening standing on the carpet interviewing fellow celebrities for ABC’s Countdown to the Oscars pre-show, which aired before the award ceremony. Hudgens was joined by two other hosts, Ashley Graham and Lilly Singh.

Butler, who was nominated for Best Actor for his lead role in Elvis, stopped by for a red-carpet interview, but spoke to Graham rather than Hudgens.

During their chat, Graham asked Butler why his current girlfriend, Gerber, wasn’t with him at the show. "I thought I was going to see a little arm candy tonight. Where is Kaia?" Graham asked, to which Butler coyly responded, "I’ve got my best friend here with me, who is also my agent. And I owe my career to him, so as a thank you, I wanted him to be by my side tonight."

At the end of their talk, Graham cut to Hudgens, who continued the pre-show.

Hudgens and Butler addressed their 2020 split in separate interviews, but haven't been publicly seen together since. The actress, however, did recently troll her ex for his viral Elvis Presley accent—which he still has not gotten rid of.

Hudgens and Butler dated for nine years, and broke things off in January 2020. Soon after, the High School Musical star moved on with Tucker, and Butler began dating Gerber.

While Gerber did not attend the ceremony with Butler last night, she joined him for the Vanity Fair Oscars after party. Hudgens was also there, and a photo shows the two did run into each other at one point, but didn't seem to make conversation.

You Might Also Like

• 18 Best Leggings Brands That Will Make Your Butt Look Like an 11/10

• 37 Selena Gomez Hairstyles to Copy If You're Trying to Level-Up Your Hair Game

• 11 Waterproof Makeup Products You Have to Try