Ashley Tisdale just discovered she's related to best friend Austin Butler

18 November 2022, 16:27

Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens perform ‘We’re All In This Together’ on TikTok

By Katie Louise Smith

To make matters even more wild: Ashley and Austin once played love interests in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure.

Loading audio...

After appearing as co-stars in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, and being best friends for over 10 years, Ashley Tisdale and Austin Butler have just discovered that they are actually related.

Ashley and her sister Jennifer appeared on an episode of Ancestry’s 2 Lies and a Leaf to test their knowledge of their family and heritage. The biggest revelation from the episode came when Ashley discovered that she and Austin are distant relatives.

In the clip, Ashley and Jennifer are asked a question: "We discovered that Ashley is related to one of her co-stars. Is it: A) Zac Efron, B) Austin Butler or C) Dylan and Cole Sprouse?"

After the options are presented, Ashley hilariously cringes and notes that she's "kissed almost every single one of them" on their respective films and TV shows.

Austin Butler and Ashley Tisdale in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure. Picture: Getty

She eventually settles on Austin as her answer, saying: "Austin and I always say that we're fraternal twins, born very far apart, because he's much younger. And we've always had that connection, so I want to say that but now it's like... WHAT?!"

The answer was, in fact, Austin Butler. And Ashley's reaction pretty much says it all. "No wonder we have such a connection! We've always said we were brother and sister. That is insane," she says before she start to well up.

Austin Butler and Ashley Tisdale being related was not on my 2022 wild cards list. pic.twitter.com/1EuC2eGctc
— daily austin butler 💭 (@archivebutler) November 15, 2022

It turns out that Ashley and Austin are distant relatives, through Ashley's father and Austin's mother. Their family tree connection dates all the way back to a man named Richard Scruggs who was born in 1627.

"Austin is Ashley's co-star in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure and real life friend," the voiceover says. "He is your 10th cousin once removed."

In a short behind-the-scenes moment from the show, Ashley texted Austin to tell him that they were related, to which he promptly replied: "No f*cking way."

No f*cking way, indeed!