A bond like no other. Austin Butler and Ashley Tisdale have formed a friendship that’s lasted more than a decade.
Butler and Tisdale originally crossed paths in 2009 when they starred in the movie Aliens in the Attic together. Two years later, they reunited on screen for the High School Musical spinoff film, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure.
“Ashley Tisdale and I have been friends for, like, three or four years, so it was a blast to get to come to work every day and just have fun with her,” the actor told Girl magazine at the time about collaborating with the Disney Channel star over the years.
Later that year, Butler started Dating Tisdale’s longtime friend Vanessa Hudgens. Following nearly nine years together, the Carrie Diaries alum and Hudgens Relationship-timeline/”>called it quits in 2020. Tisdale and Butler, however, continued to maintain a close bond.
In November 2022, the Carol’s Second Act alum was in for a surprise when she learned that Butler was actually part of her family.
“I think my reaction on-camera says it all … I couldn’t believe it, and I started to get emotional,” Tisdale exclusively told Us Weekly about the revelation that the Switched at Birth alum was her 10th cousin once removed, which she learned by teaming up with Ancestry.
The Masked Dancer panelist recalled Butler’s initial reaction when he learned the news, adding, “He was like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it makes so much sense now.’ [If] I can’t get a hold of him. I’m like, ‘Hello, it’s your cousin. You can’t ignore me, I’m family.’”
Tisdale later gushed about the work that the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star puts into their friendship — especially after she welcomed daughter Jupiter with husband Christopher French.
“He has always taken the time, which I think is like the most important thing to me, to FaceTime to be a part of her life in ways,” the Frenshe founder shared with Us in March 2023 of Butler’s relationship with her child. “He’s always been able to do that and I think that’s something that has been really sweet.”
The New Jersey alum opened up about watching Butler’s career skyrocket after working with Baz Luhrmann on the 2022 Elvis biopic.
“He is such an amazing actor and he’s worked really, really hard over the years to get to where he is,” Tisdale shared with Us. “I’ve seen it. I’ve seen his journey and his process and I think that he is so deserving of it.”
She continued: “It’s great to see someone set [a goal saying], ‘This is what I wanna do. This is the type of work I wanna do.’ And to see him do it, it’s just really inspiring. I’m so happy for him. I think he’s just amazing at what he does and he’s a good person. So I’m really happy for him.”
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Scroll down to relive Tisdale and Butler’s sweetest friendship moments:
