Kaia Gerber and boyfriend Austin Butler appear to be standing on rocky ground, and a source exclusively tells Life & Style the in-demand actor is rapidly losing interest in the relationship despite his girlfriend’s best efforts.
“Austin and Kaia have always had a lot of things working against them,” says a friend of the Oscar-nominated Elvis star, 33. Most notably, the source says, is the “big culture difference between how they were brought up.”
Austin came from humble beginnings and attended public school until finally landing his big break after working as an extra on several television series. The 23-year-old model, however, was born into a wealthy family.
Kaia is the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, and when she was just 10 years old, she landed her first modeling gig with Versace’s junior line, Young Versace.
Also weighing down the Dune: Part Two actor’s relationship with Kaia is “the crazy pressure Austin has been under over the last two years as he became a household name,” the source points out.
“These are issues Kaia has always had a hard time getting her arms around, along with Austin’s crazy schedule where he’s been filming almost constantly for the last 18 months,” the insider explains. ”
Austin is a good guy, but everyone is being realistic about the fact that he’s way more invested in his career than he is in this relationship. At least that’s how it looks when you spend time with them as a couple.”
With their relationship constantly hitting more roadblocks, the source reveals that the model “is trying to up her game and stay interesting” to her boyfriend of more than two years (they have been linked since December 2021). “She’s not ready to let him go,” the source says.
“But Austin is outgrowing this relationship and, long term, is going to have a better time with a woman who didn’t grow up with world-famous parents.”
Adds the insider, “He needs to be with somebody he has more common ground with, and it looks like that’s slowly dawning on him. But Kaia doesn’t want this to end.”
Making matters worse for the couple, Austin was nowhere to be found during his girlfriend’s recent birthday festivities to celebrate her turning 23 on September 3.
The model, her famous parents, brother Presley Gerber and a few of her close pals headed to Disneyland in Anaheim. “Kaia had a blast with her family and friends at Disney, but Austin’s absence was very noticeable,” a separate insider recently told Life & Style.
“It sparked rumors that the romance is over.” After all, Kaia had been present to help Austin enjoy his own birthday a month prior.
They were last spotted on August 17, walking through Manhattan hand in hand. “She celebrated his birthday with him this summer, but he didn’t return the favor,” noted the insider.
“That seems a little odd.” Still, Kaia is “very private when it comes to relationships,” the source pointed out. So if there is trouble
