Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler have reportedly broken up after three years together. The former couple first went public with their relationship in March 2022 when they made their red carpet debut at _W Magazine'_s annual Best Performances party. However, it's thought that they had been dating since December 2021, when they were spotted at a yoga class together.
Now a source tells People that they have decided to go their separate ways. Kaia and Austin were last seen together in October walking hand in hand into Gracie Abrams’ concert in New York. However, they reportedly broke up shortly afterwards, towards the end of 2024, and Austin was noticeably absent from the Gerber family's recent holiday in Mexico.
The news also follows reports that Kaia had been growing close to Saturday Night Live star, Marcello Hernandez, who were spotted dancing together at a party in September.
In trying to work out what might have gone wrong between the young 'It' couple, fans have decided Kaia might have received some fine-tuned advice from her mum, Cindy Crawford. 'Like mother, like daughter,' one fan wrote in response to the break up news. 'Kaia got rid of her own "Richard Gere movie star relationship". With Cindy Crawford as your mom/ mentor, Kaia will continue to make good choices.'
Kaia is an actress in her own right, starring in American Horror Story, Bottoms and Babylon, however she is best known for her work as a super model. She made her runway debut at 16 for Calvin Klein and has modelled for Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Chanel, and Prada. Kaia has also appeared on the cover of Vogue several times, even featuring on former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful's final cover alongside 39 other iconic women.
However, Austin has become a fully fledged Hollywood star in recent years. His performance as Elvis Presley in the Baz Luhrman biopic earned him an Oscar nomination in 2023 and he is preparing to take over the role of Patrick Bateman from Christian Bale in the 2026 reboot of American Psycho directed by Luca Guadagnino.
It is possible that their divergent career paths and Austin's busy schedule have played a role in their decision to part ways. Austin, 33, is also ten years older than Kaia, 23, so fans are right to point out the parallels between their relationship and that of Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere.
Cindy and Richard started dating in 1988, when Cindy was 21 and Richard was 38, and they eloped in Vegas in 1991. The former couple were married for four years before divorcing in 1995. Apparently, Richard's intense acting schedule played a part in their decision to break up too as they were not able to see each other as much as they had liked.
Shortly after Cindy and Richard's divorce, the model met her current husband of 26 years, Rande Gerber, with whom she had Presley and Kaia. It's no secret that Kaia is extremely close with her family, especially her parents, and Austin spent a lot of time with the family during the course of their relationship too.
When asked what the secret is to her successful marriage, Cindy once said: be friends. 'That's the advice I give my kids too,' she told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. 'Of course, you need the other stuff – that's the fun chemistry and all that. But if that wasn't there, would you be friends with this person?'
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).