Cindy Crawford Took Kaia Gerber’s Split From Austin Butler ‘Personally’ After Welcoming Him Into Family

Cindy Crawford loathed daughter Kaia Gerber’s ex Austin Butler with such a passion, she made it her mission to break them up! And she continues to trash-talk him all over Hollywood a full year after they went their separate ways, a source tells Globe.

“It’s like Cindy took the breakup personally!” the insider says. The 59-year-old supermodel and husband Rande Gerber, 63, “let Austin into the family because Kaia wanted a real future with him.”

As readers know, the nepo baby, 24, and the Elvis star, 34, first sparked romance rumors in December 2021. They dated for three years before ending their relationship late last year.

While they were together, Kaia and Austin spent time with her family, including joining them on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, per US Weekly.

“But Austin was a party animal at heart and there’s a clear argument that he was using Kaia to bolster his own Hollywood connections,” says the insider. “What is most annoying to Cindy is that Austin’s plan worked, and he’s really made a name for himself.”

Austin’s performance as Elvis Presley earned him a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and he’s since scored major roles in Dune: Part Two and Caught Stealing.

Meanwhile, despite Cindy’s efforts, Kaia continues to struggle to get more than supporting roles, says the source. “That’s the real irritation for Cindy, the idea that this ambitious interloper could use her daughter and then throw her out like a carton of spoiled milk.”

According to our insider, though Kaia was recently linked to Top Gun: Maverick and Thunderbolts actor Lewis Pullman, she is still in the process of getting over the split, which is why the bad vibes around Austin are still roiling the whole family.

“Cindy has been the one vocally pushing back within her social circle on the idea that Austin is just some kind of innocent angel or deer in the headlights who got distracted by his Oscar nomination and sudden status as a Hollywood leading man,” says the source.

“So she’s quick to remind people that Austin knew exactly what he was getting into and, for a while at least, basked in the attention that came from associating himself with such a famous and connected family.”

“She can joke about it, but you can tell that it’s all coming from a place of anger and betrayal because they let this young man into their family in a pretty significant way.” says the source.