Austin Butler is putting a stop to the dating speculation. After weeks of chatter surrounding his nights out with Emily Ratajkowski, the actor is finally setting the record straight and addressing exactly where the two stand.
Austin Butler addresses dating rumors
Austin Butler has no interest in letting dating rumors run wild. After his recent outings with Emily Ratajkowski in New York City fueled romance speculation, the Elvis star clarified the situation in a new interview. Speaking to Vanity Fair in a feature published November 18, Butler explained that the narrative circulating online doesn’t match reality
“The true answer is that I have a lot of friends,” Butler said. “And we’re friends and we had dinner, and that we’re friends.” His comments follow months of dating rumors invovlving the two. They were first seen together at the Caught Stealing afterparty following the film’s premiere, and just days later, witnesses spotted them reportedly getting cozy in a booth at Waverly Inn. Their outings instantly triggered speculation across social media, with fans questioning if a new Hollywood pairing was in the works.
However, Butler’s clarification makes it clear that friendship and not romance is at play. The dating chatter didn’t stop at Emily Ratajkowski. Around the same time, Butler was photographed dining with a mystery woman, which led the internet to assume the companion was TikTok influencer Hailey Kalil, known online as Haleyybaylee. Kalil shut down the speculation but did so with a sense of humor. “It’s not me, but I wish it was,” she told TMZ back in September. “Austin, my DMs are open.”
Earlier this year, Butler ended his three-year relationship with Kaia Gerber. Despite his history of keeping relationships out of the news cycle, he admitted to Vanity Fair that he’s rethinking the way he approaches privacy. And for now, the only thing certain is that Butler and Ratajkowski are, as he put it, simply friends.
