Vanessa Hudgens' Dating History: From Zac Efron to Cole Tucker

Throughout her career, actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens has had a few high-profile relationships.

Before her marriage to pro baseball player Cole Tucker in 2023, Hudgens was involved in a few Hollywood romances. She rose to fame with her role as Gabriella in the High School Musical franchise, which also introduced her to Zac Efron. The two made their on-screen romance into a real one and dated from 2005 to 2010.

After dating Efron, Hudgens briefly dated Josh Hutcherson before starting another long-term relationship with Austin Butler. The pair were together for over eight years before going their separate ways.

In 2020, the actress started dating Tucker. The pair got engaged at the end of 2022 and wed in December 2023.

From Zac Efron to Cole Tucker, here's everything to know about Vanessa Hudgens' dating history.

Zac Efron

The on-screen couple became a real one while working together on High School Musical in 2005. Hudgens shared on The Hollywood Reporter podcast Awards Chatter in 2018 that the pair started dating at the "very beginning" of the franchise, feeling the chemistry immediately in the audition room.

"We created a bond right from the start," she said on the podcast. "We were like, 'We're doing this, it's us or nothing.' " In the same interview, Hudgens explained that her relationship with Efron had comforted her as they both became famous.

"By being in a relationship, I feel like it kind of kept me stabilized and grounded, and I had someone to lean on who was going through it as well," she said.

They didn't officially confirm their relationship until 2007 when Hudgens cast Efron as the romantic lead in the music video for her song "Say OK." A few months later, at the Los Angeles premiere of High School Musical 2, the actress said that her costar was an "amazing guy."

Efron had some complimentary words of his own, telling PEOPLE on the set of the movie that Hudgens "just brings sparkle to everything." He also got candid with Rolling Stone during a 2007 interview, saying, "The weird thing that no one expected about Vanessa is that underneath such a sweet girl ... is a very sexy woman."

The couple continued to work together, finishing the High School Musical franchise, which ended in 2008. The next year, Efron and Hudgens attended the Oscars together, looking much more grown up than their high school characters.

In 2010, the Princess Switch actress opened up to Glamour about how their relationship had changed as they grew beyond their first roles.

"I mean, he wasn't the guy that he is today. Like, he had a gap in his teeth ... [He's] just grown-up," Hudgens said. "He doesn't have his gap anymore. I look at him, and I see a man. I think that we inspire each other. [I love] having someone to grow with."

However, later that year, the couple announced that they had gone their separate ways — she was 22 and he was 23 at the time. A source told PEOPLE, "They are 100 percent still good friends." Though they didn't specify a reason for the breakup, Hudgens later suggested that being apart from each other so often had taken a toll.

"Long-distance relationships are hard no matter what. When you don't have face-to-face time, it's just different," she shared with Shape in 2011. But Hudgens still had good things to say about Efron. “We grew up together,” she told the outlet. “It was nice to have someone to share all of those experiences with.”

The pair briefly reunited (virtually) in 2020 for The Disney Family Singalong special, where Hudgens performed alongside other High School Musical cast members and Efron introduced the group.

Josh Hutcherson

In February 2011, there were rumors that Hudgens was dating her Journey 2: The Mysterious Island costar Hutcherson. Sources told PEOPLE that the duo looked fairly cozy at the premiere of her film Beastly. A few days later, he brought her as his date to the Independent Spirit Awards, and they were also spotted together in April 2011 at Coachella.

Their brief relationship was confirmed in an awkward 2012 interview with Today Australia when the interviewer asked how long the couple had been going out. Hudgens and Hutcherson exchanged a surprised look before he quickly said, "We're not — we were at one point, that was a while ago ... we're really good friends now."

Austin Butler

Hudgens and Butler were first spotted together in September 2011, when they both attended a birthday party for Ashley Tisdale's sister. Several months later, the pair made their official red carpet debut at the premiere of her movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Butler wore a simple suit, while Hudgens chose a bright yellow floor-length gown.

They made their relationship Instagram official in 2014 when the actress posted a sweet tribute to her then-boyfriend for his birthday. "Happy birthday to the man with the kindest heart, beautiful soul, crazy talent and best looks I've ever seen," Hudgens wrote in the caption.

In 2015, Butler spoke with Entertainment Tonight about his relationship with the actress, sharing that the key to their relationship was always putting the other person first. A few years later, Hudgens also spoke about how they maintained their connection as a long-distance couple. "Just communication, communication is key," she told PEOPLE in 2017.

During their near-decade together, Hudgens and Butler were very supportive of each other's careers. When Butler was cast as Elvis Presley in July 2019 — a role that later earned him an Oscar nomination — Hudgens celebrated her boyfriend on Instagram, writing, "I CAN'T WAIT 😍😍😍😍😍😍 SO PROUD OF MY HONEYYYYY!!!"

In January 2020, however, they went their separate ways. A source shared with PEOPLE, "Busy work schedules and travel definitely put a strain on the relationship. They were a wonderful couple and it's really sad that it didn't work out."

When Butler was asked about their time together in an interview with GQ over two years after the breakup, he responded, "Life is full of changes, and you've got to find a way to constantly be evolving and growing." For her part, Hudgens told NYLON in 2022 that she'd been in two very long life-changing relationships, though didn't specify with who.

Kyle Kuzma

Washington Wizards player Kyle Kuzma was spotted having dinner with Hudgens shortly after her breakup with Butler was made public in January 2020. A few days later, a source told PEOPLE, "They're seeing each other, but taking things slow and just having fun at this stage."

Hudgens also left a flirty comment on Kuzma's Instagram and gave him a shout-out in her own Instagram caption. A source shared, "She's living it up and having fun. She seems really happy and excited about life, honestly."

Cole Tucker

Hudgens found her husband. On Dec. 2, 2023, she and Tucker got married in Tulum, Mexico.

The couple first sparked dating rumors in November 2020 when they were spotted together in L.A. Hudgens told Entertainment Tonight in 2021 that the couple first met in a Zoom meditation group. She also shared that same year on The Drew Barrymore Show that she was the one who made the first move. "I fully just slid into his DMs and was like, 'Hey, it was nice to meet you.' So I think there is no shame in making the first move."

In February 2021, they made things Instagram official — Hudgens posted a sweet snap of them kissing with the caption, "It's you, it's me, it's us." Tucker spoke about her the same month, saying, "I got a girlfriend and she's cool. She's awesome, I love her."

They made their official red carpet debut in November 2021, attending the premiere of Hudgens' film Tick Tick … BOOM! in L.A.

In February 2023, PEOPLE confirmed that Hudgens and Tucker had gotten engaged late the previous year. The couple posted their own joint announcement on Instagram, showing off the big diamond ring. "YES. We couldn't be happier," they wrote in the caption.

A month later, Hudgens told PEOPLE she was surprised by the Parisian proposal. "We had definitely talked about it, but I did not expect it to happen the way that it happened and the moment that it happened," she said. "It definitely caught me off guard and I was bawling my eyes out."

After their engagement, fans were quick to find a 2012 post on X from Tucker that seemingly manifested his eventual relationship. "In search of: A girl who's down to watch High School Musical with me and scratch my back," he wrote.

In October 2023, Hudgens celebrated her bachelorette party in Aspen, Colorado, with friends, including actresses Alexandra Shipp and Sarah Hyland.