Vanessa Hudgens Makes Rare Comments About Her Two Famous Exes

It's been over a decade since Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron broke up. But the OG "High School Musical" couple has been living rent-free in collective cultural consciousness ever since. Whether you were a "High School Musical" fan, a Broadway aficionado, or a theater kid, Hudgens and Efron proved that star-crossed lovers exist (and also that basketball choreography is a thing). Unlike many teens, the pair dated for four years before calling it quits in 2010. Per People, they ended the relationship as "100 percent still good friends."

Hudgens then moved on with Austin Butler, whom she dated for nearly nine years, sparking speculation that they planned to marry. In 2011, the "Elvis" star gushed, "I'm so inspired by [Vanessa] every day and just love her to my core," per E! News. The couple's 2020 breakup surprised fans because neither Butler nor Hudgens publicly shared a reason for the split at the time. Butler gave a vague response years later, telling GQ Hype, "Life is full of changes. You've got to find a way to constantly be evolving and growing."

In the post-Vanessa era, Butler's career has been booming thanks to his lead role in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic. Meanwhile, Hudgens is in a relationship with Cole Tucker. Her Instagram is sprinkled with tributes to her MLB beau, but the typically tight-lipped star just broke her silence about her two famous exes.

In a September 12, 2022, interview with Nylon, Vanessa Hudgens revealed that as much as fans think they know her, they don't. The "Tick, Tick ... Boom!" star hinted that there's more to her breakups with Zac Efron and Austin Butler than people realize. "The public only sees so much. I've also been through two very long life-changing relationships, and no one really knows what happened except for me," she said. "When I write my memoir, it'll be amazing."

This isn't too surprising, given fans were mostly left in the dark about Hudgens' high-profile split with Butler. Vague remarks from Butler aside, a source told E! News that the breakup was "a matter of distance" and that their work schedules had been keeping them apart. At the time, Hudgens was filming "The Princess Switch: Switched Again," while Butler was preparing to become "Elvis." Butler has remained similarly quiet about his budding relationship with model Kaia Gerber. When asked about it by GQ Hype, he replied, "I don't think there's anything I want to share about that. But thank you for providing the space."

As for what went wrong with Hudgens and Efron, Hudgens shared that they'd simply spent too much time apart (via Marie Claire U.K.). "Long-distance relationships are hard no matter what," she said. "When you don't have face-to-face time, it's just different." That doesn't sound too scandalous, but we'll have to wait for that tell-all memoir for more.