Austin Butler has directly addressed the widespread rumors linking him to Emily Ratajkowski. The actor confirmed that their relationship is purely platonic.
"The real answer is I have so many friends, and we’re friends and we had dinner, and we’re still friends," Butler, 34, told Vanity Fair in a recent interview.
The speculation began last September when Butler and Ratajkowski, also 34, were spotted dining together in New York. Photos circulating then showed the pair seated closely in a booth at the Waverly Inn restaurant.
Butler admitted that the intense scrutiny over his private life initially made him "just want to hide." He has since adopted a new perspective on public attention.
He explained, "Am I going to live a small, limited life because I’m afraid of what people will say or what they’ll think?"
While it is unclear how the two initially met, they share a surprising past acting connection. Butler appeared in an episode of iCarly in 2007. Ratajkowski made a cameo on the same show two years later.
Ratajkowski reflected on her iCarly role in an August interview with Elle UK. She recalled being in "like, three episodes," calling it a "wild" and "crazy experience."
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She added that it was a unique learning experience to be among child actors. She had grown up in a public high school setting.
Butler was most recently linked to Kaia Gerber. Their three-year relationship ended in January.
The former couple was first seen together in December 2021 attending a yoga class. Us Weekly confirmed at the time that they were "quietly dating."
This followed Butler’s split from Vanessa Hudgens after nine years. Gerber had also recently ended her relationship with Jacob Elordi.
Ratajkowski has also had several high-profile relationships. These include romances with Brad Pitt and Pete Davidson.
Her dating life followed her 2022 separation from husband Sebastian Bear-McClard. The pair had been married for four years before their divorce.
Reflecting on her newfound single status, Ratajkowski told Harper’s Bazaar she was experiencing "all the emotions." She felt anger, sadness, excitement, joy, and lightness.
She shared that she now has a new approach to dating. Ratajkowski previously described herself as a "pick-me girl."
"I wasn’t very good at deciding what I liked," she said. "I really wanted to be chosen."
She used to focus on how she was perceived by others. This often dictated her choices and self-worth.
"That doesn’t happen to me anymore," Ratajkowski stated. "So now it’s really fun to go to dinner with someone and be like, ‘Great. I really liked these parts of that person. And these other parts, I really didn’t.’"