Austin Butler Clarifies Why He Called Ex Vanessa Hudgens A 'Friend'

Austin Butler has learned a major lesson ... never refer to your ex of nearly 10 years as a 'friend' cause you will catch a lot of flak for it -- just like he did this week.

The actor had to clarify what he meant from an interview he did almost a year ago ... when he pulled a Biz Markie and referred to Vanessa Hudgens as just a pal. At the time, he was recounting a story about how the idea of playing Elvis first came onto his radar ... which included Vanessa telling him he oughta portray the King while listening to Xmas songs.

In a new interview with Esquire that dropped this week .. he clarified what he said about her at the time, clarifying he meant no disrespect ... not mention downplaying the role VH played in his life during their nearly decade-long relationship. On the contrary, he insists he only referred to her as a friend out of her own interest ... to protect her privacy.

Austin says he opted for that wording based on his own experience ... explaining that values privacy so much himself, and didn't want to put the "High School Musical" star in a position where her own was compromised and she'd be forced to comment on their relationship.

He noted ... "I have so much love and care for her. It was in no way trying to erase anything."

ICYMI ... Vanessa's fans were up in arms over the original flippancy of Austin failing to acknowledge she was his longtime girlfriend ... they dated for a helluva long time before splitting up in 2020.

The pair pulled the plug on their romance ... and they've each since moved on. Austin's now dating model Kaia Gerber. ... and Vanessa's gotten hitched to baseball player Cole Tucker.