All About Cole Tucker, Vanessa Hudgens’s MLB Player Husband
Around New Year’s Day 2021, E! reported that Vanessa Hudgens had a new boyfriend. A source told the outlet that Hudgens, then 32, was exclusively dating then-Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player Cole Tucker, who was 24 at the time. “They are boyfriend and girlfriend,” a source told the outlet. “They rang in the New Year together.” News of their romance arrived about a year after her split from Austin Butler after nearly nine years together.
On Valentine’s Day 2021, Hudgens and Tucker were Instagram official: The actress posted an image of the two of them kissing. She included the caption: “It’s you, it’s me, it’s us. @cotuck ❤️💋🤟🏽”
Tucker returned the favor:
Since then, they've been going strong, moving on to get engaged, then married on Dec. 2, 2023. They welcomed their first child in July 2024. Professionally, Tucker now plays for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ahead, everything we know about Hudgens’s love, including details about their wedding and proof that Tucker has seen his fair share of High School Musical.
The couple welcomed their first child in July 2024.Hudgens and Tucker were photographed leaving the hospital in Santa Monica, California, on Wednesday, July 2. Hudgens was being wheeled out while holding her infants in her arms. Photos were share by Page Six showing the new parents head to the car with their belongings and child.
It’s not clear when the baby was actually born, but Wednesday happened to coincide with Tucker’s 28th birthday. Hudgens didn’t forget. She shared a sweet carousel of photos on Instagram.
“Happy birthday to my slice of heaven @cotuck 🥳 you make the world a brighter place just by being you ♥️🤟🏽,” she wrote in the caption.
The day after the photos were published, Hudgens shared an Instagram Story expressing disappointment with the photos being released.
“We’re disappointed that our family’s privacy was disrespected and exploited during this very special time due to the greed of a long lens camera feeding the media,” she wrote. “Despite all of that, mom dad and baby are happy and healthy.”
The couple announced they were expecting again in July 2025.In a post on July 12, Hudgens shared photos posing with Tucker and showing off her new baby bump, peaking through her open white top over her matching skirt. In the caption she wrote, “Round two!!!!”
After welcoming their first child, Hudgens took more space from social media. She returned to the platform on November 24 to share a photo of her and Tucker out on a date. She wore a striking red corset dress. “Call for a good time 😉😝,” she wrote.
Hudgens and Tucker started the 2023 holiday season with a wedding. Multiple sources told People that the couple tied the knot on Saturday, December 2 in Tulum, Mexico. A photo surfaced of Hudgens posing on the beach in a white long dress with a high leg slit on X, formerly known on Twitter, which first sparked wedding rumors.
Hudgens confirmed her wedding news, sharing photos and details with Vogue.On Dec. 6, 2023, Vogue ran photos from Hudgens’s wedding and commentary from her about the ceremony. Hudgens said they got married on December 2 at the Azulik City of Arts in Tulum. She said that she “knew I wanted to get married somewhere warm, and our window for getting married was so small because Cole’s [baseball] season is very long. I felt like ‘Mexico it is!’ I also wanted somewhere very spiritual. So I went to the hotel and got a really long tour, where I myself was not doing well, I was so hot and felt like I was going to faint. At the end of this very long tour, I was like ‘Where would we have our ceremony?’ and they were like ‘Oh, that would be at our museum’ and they said, ‘It’s 45 minutes into the jungle.’ I was thinking, ‘Okay, that sounds aggressive, but I guess I’ll give it a try.’”
She wore a gown by Vera Wang that was inspired by the ’90s supermodels. The dress she chose was the first one she tried on: “I put it on, and I was like ‘It’s perfect. It’s easy, it’s simple, and it’s chic. It was exactly what I wanted, but we obviously had to spruce it up a little and add some extra love to it so that it was special, just for me. I wanted it to look like I was floating and loved the cape and veil combo.” See photos here.
The couple also wrote their own vows and read them, Hudgens revealed: “[Writing my own vows] was important to me. I would also say to everyone: Write your own vows and read them. It is the most beautiful thing ever in a relationship to be that open and vulnerable and raw in front of all of the people you love proclaiming your love. It’s just beautiful. I loved it.”
Hudgens and Tucker were reported to be engaged in February 2023.TMZ reported that a source close to the couple told it that Tucker proposed in late 2022. Neither have confirmed the news yet. Hudgens explained how she knew Tucker was the right one for marrying while on Hoda & Jenna on April 14 after they asked her if it felt different to be engaged.
“It feels amazing,” she said. “I was talking about this with Cole, my partner. People are always like ‘Does it feel different?’ You know, it actually does. There's like a sense of security and you feel so safe. It's the best thing ever. I love being a fiancée.”
She added, “After our first weekend together, I called my sister, and I was like, ‘I think I just found my future husband.’ The foresight!”
Hudgens confirmed their engagement in early February.She and Tucker posted photos from the proposal on Instagram. “YES. We couldn’t be happier 🤍” she wrote.
She later told Vogue about his proposal in Paris, “It’s the most romantic city in the world. [But] I was very surprised. I dropped a hint that that would be the ideal place, but kind of forgot about it because I didn’t want to have any expectations on the trip. I just wanted to enjoy it for what it was, and he caught me completely off guard.”
Hudgens and Tucker had a great 2022 together.Tucker and Hudgens have gone to award shows together, including the Screen Actors Guild Awards in February 2022.
But they did a different kind of dressing up for Halloween 2022. Hudgens shared a photo of the two's costumes on her Instagram. “Happy Halloween from Sting and Miss Argentina 🎃,” she wrote.
Tucker is a regular star on Hudgens' Instagram and appeared in a selfie on October 10, leading up to their big costume reveal.
A couple months into their romance being public, Hudgens had no qualms talking about her beau to Entertainment Tonight in September 2021 and what makes their relationship work so well. “We're just like the same, we're very similar, we're very similar. We're such weirdos, it's wonderful,” Hudgens said.
She also paid tribute to him on his birthday in July 2022, sharing more about their life together. “Who’s a big birthday boy?! @cotuck is 😍🥳🥰 I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words… how about wonderful life is now your in the world. DAMNIT 😉🤟🏽🥂💋 Happy birthday baby ♥️”
TMZ reported that the Colorado Rockies called Tucker up from the minor league to play on their team, and Hudgens was there rooting him on in the crowd.
While doing a photo shoot for her Caliwater campaign, Hudgens told People how surprised she has been by the cost of hosting a wedding and everything she's had to learn through the process.
“It's wild, it's crazy, the industry of weddings,” she said, adding that the planning has been “kind of mind-blowing.”
She continued, “My best friend is getting married as well. And she's going through it and I was just like, ‘My God, dresses are so expensive.’ It's nuts."
Hudgens shut down pregnancy rumors during her bachelorette weekend.At the end of October, Hudgens directly responded to commenters speculating she could be expecting her first child with Booker on her Instagram. Hudgens had shared photos from her bachelorette weekend in Aspen, Colorado. “🙄 not pregnant so y’all can stop,” she wrote.
Hudgens spoke on the Today show about her plans to take Tucker’s last name legally after they get married. “Yeah I’m probably going to take it,” she said on Nov. 2, 2023. “Professionally, it’s obviously going to stay the same, but yeah. Mrs. T.”
He wished his wife a happy birthday in December 2023.On Thursday, December 14, Tucker wished his new wife Vanessa Hudgens a happy birthday, her first since their wedding just a couple weeks earlier. He shared a carousel of photos that included shots of them in their wedding attire, including her Vera Wang wedding gown. There were also pics of them traveling, by a koi pond, on a motorbike, a golf course, and hanging out at home. It ended with a pic of them both reimagined as plastic bobble heads who fight in the WWE.
“Happy birthday to my wife!!!!!!” he captioned the post.
Hudgens commented, “High cheeks 🙋🏻♀️😊 🤟🏽 4evaaaa.”
In 2024, Hudgens revealed they were expecting their first child together on the Oscars red carpet.On Sunday, March 10, Hudgens was scheduled to co-host ABC’s “Countdown to Oscars: On the Red Carpet Live!” at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. She took the opportunity to announced her pregnancy, posing in a form-fitting black gown with long sleeves, a mock turtleneck, and a trailing skirt. She stopped to smile at the camera with her hands on her obvious baby bump.
She wore a gorgeous floral maternity dress a few days later at the Caliwater Kids Launch at The Grove in Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, April 10, she wore a body-hugging brown dress to the launch of the AllSaints x Caliwater Capsule Collection at NeueHouse Hollywood. The ensemble pulled across her growing belly, which she wore under a leather jacket. Her hair was back in a tight bun, and she accessorized with silver heels and jewelry.
On Thursday, May 23, Hudgens and Tucker were seen in West Hollywood, enjoying a date night before becoming new parents. Hudgens was wearing an olive green dress underneath a black coat with a pair of heels and a matching purse. Tucker was wearing a white T-shirt, black jeans, and Vans sneakers. They smiled and chatted together before holding hands.
They welcomed their first child in July 2024, a boy, but did not reveal his name or exact birth date.
He’s now a third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels.Tucker hails from Phoenix, Arizona and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as their shortstop in 2014. According to Baseball Reference, he was the 24th pick of the 1st round and made his professional debut in April 2019. The 6'3" player has shifted between shortstop and outfielder positions as a Pirate. However, he suffered a concussion in fall 2020 that benched him for the remainder of the season, according to CBS Sports.
In December 2020, Hudgens reportedly visited Tucker in his hometown of Phoenix, as noted by the Daily Mail. She shared a photo of herself and friend GG Magree hanging out at the city's Papago Park Amphitheater. "Real hot girl sh*t🤘🏽" Hudgens captioned the snaps.
He has since moved teams and is with the L.A. Angels as a third baseman in 2024.
Rumors of the couple's romance started on November 21, when Hudgens wrote, "Date night 💖" alongside a photo of herself holding a pink rose.
That same night, the pair was spotted by paparazzi cuddling outside of the Canyon Country Store in Los Angeles. The Daily Mail ran photos. The following evening, Tucker and Hudgens enjoyed a dinner date at Pace in Laurel Canyon."They had a romantic dinner outside under the stars," an eyewitness told the outlet. "They shared wine and food and had a great two-hour meal. Vanessa was giddy with laughter. She was looking over at Cole and couldn't contain her smile."
Hudgens most recently dated actor Butler before their split in January 2020. Although they reportedly discussed getting engaged, a source told E! that they had "split for now" but were "going to see what happens. They have such a history and deep connection they could find their way back to one another. Right now she felt like he needed to go and be single and see if that's what he really wants."
By the end of that month, Hudgens was seen with Los Angeles Lakers player Kyle Kuzma. "They’re seeing each other, but taking things slow and just having fun at this stage," a source told People at the time.
His brother Carson is also an MLB player.Cole isn't the only Tucker family member to become a professional baseball player. His younger brother Carson was a first-round pick shortstop in 2020, drafted by the Cleveland Indians, according to MLB. Cole has been nothing but supportive of his younger brother, telling the outlet, "Like, Carson Tucker’s my favorite player, and I’m rooting for him and pulling for him and following his every move. I’m just trying to be as much a part of the process as I can and putting my big-brother hat on and also putting my baseball-player hat on, just because I have a lot of experience with the process."
Another important thing to note about Tucker: he's well-versed in all things High School Musical. A scroll through his Twitter reveals that Tucker retweeted High School Musical-related memes in both July and August of 2020. He also tweeted, "In search of: A girl who's down to watch High School Musical with me and scratch my back," back in January 2012, as uncovered by MLB.
As for the inspiration behind his enviable curls? Tucker told The Athletic, via MLB, that he was influenced by Corbin Bleu's baseball player HSM character, Chad Danforth. “I thought that Corbin Bleu was the coolest person on Earth, and he had hair just like I do now—the long, ringlet curls,” Tucker told the outlet. “When I was in fourth grade, I was like, ‘Man, I am going to grow out my hair. I’m going to look like Corbin Bleu and it’s going to be the coolest thing ever.’ I did it and I’m still doing it. I sound like such a nerd right now, but that’s really what happened. It kind of became my thing.”
He's a movie buff.While Tucker and Hudgens are in different fields, he does know a thing or two about filmmaking. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Tucker "always tries to predict Oscar winners" and asked him about his favorite baseball movies. Film with the best love story went to Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon. Field of Dreams was his pick for most overrated baseball movie, and The Sandlot was his favorite for kids. "This movie reminds me the most of what it’s like to be a kid and just want nothing more than to play ball with your friends," Tucker said of The Sandlot. "As we grow up and baseball becomes a job, it’s important to look back and remember how fun it is to just play the game."
He plays instruments.Perhaps another thing Hudgens and Tucker bonded on is music. While he doesn't have a hit solo album like his partner, Tucker enjoys playing instruments off the field. He has shared photos on Instagram that feature his drum playing skills and custom painted guitar.
Hudgens and Tucker went Instagram official as a couple on Valentine’s Day.
But before that big moment, they followed each other and interacted on the 'gram. Hudgens, in particular, liked Tucker's photos and even commented on them on occasion. Right before news of their dating broke, Hudgens liked Tucker's latest post, a photo dump captioned, "Winter break." Hudgens commented, "Last pic faveeeeee 😍❤️" and "Well fuck and lord b’s nook. Call me biased."
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