Our obsession with the 2000s doesn’t only involve the music and fashion—in fact, it’s the celebrity relationships that still have us reeling. Finding out that some of your favorite stars dated other big names in Hollywood (even if only briefly) during that time can come as one of the biggest shocks. Let’s take a look back at six celeb couples whose relationships were thrust into the spotlight in the 2000s.
1. Hilary Duff & Aaron Carter
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Puppy love is the absolute cutest. You were either still extremely young or not even born yet when teen queen Hilary Duff and heartthrob Aaron Carter first dated back in 2000. After appearing on a Christmas episode of Hilary’s famous show Lizzie McGuire, the two instantly became an item and were together for about two years, on and off, until Aaron reportedly “got bored” of Hilary. He then went on to hang with Lindsay Lohan, which caused a dramatic love triangle in young Hollywood and a feud between the two young women that reportedly lasted until 2007.
2. Ryan Gosling & Sandra Bullock
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Before he dated his The Notebook co-star, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling spent his days with Sandra Bullock, who was 16 years his senior. Ryan was only 21, while Sandra was 37. The two met on the set of their film Murder by Numbers, and became an item at the end of 2001. The age gap was a little off-setting to people. And doesn’t it feel just wrong to see Ryan Gosling with anyone else but Rachel McAdams? Luckily, Ryan and Sandra ended their relationship in 2003 to make way for our favorite ship, Ryan and Rachel. Until that was over, too, and he wound up with Eva Mendes. *shrug*
3. Wilmer Valderrama & Mandy Moore
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It may be a little hard to imagine that dorky Fez from That 70’s Show and cheerleader Lana from The Princess Diaries were a couple, but from 2000 to 2002, Wilmer Valderrama and Mandy Moore were a serious pairing. Wilmer was known as a handsome playboy and Mandy was still holding onto her good girl image at the time. Unfortunately, when they split, Wilmer revealed details about the couple’s sex life on Howard Stern’s radio show, which did not sit too well with Mandy.
4. Demi Lovato & Cody Linley
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Before Demi Lovato dated Joe Jonas, she was Cody Linley’s girlfriend from 2007 to 2008. Demi and Cody, famously known as Jake Ryan from Hannah Montana, are both from Texas and adorably met in an acting class. When they first shared a kiss in class, that led to a budding teenage romance until their careers and busy schedules led them to break up. Could they have been a potential Hollywood “It” couple?
5. Taylor Swift & Taylor Lautner
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Taylor and Taylor were a match made in heaven for a short while, from August 2009 to December 2009 to be exact. The two met while filming the 2010 rom-com, Valentine’s Day. The “Back to December” songstress wrote the emotional song about her actor ex-boyfriend and possibly refers to the night they split. Perhaps Taylor Lautner got lucky that he ended his relationship with Taylor Swift semi-amicably, as she never has said anything terrible about him.
6. Leonardo DiCaprio & Gisele Bundchen
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The Titanic actor is known to only exclusively date models, so it was no surprise that he snatched the gorgeous Gisele Bundchen in 2000. They were without a doubt one of the hottest couples of the 2000’s. Apparently, Leonardo was enamored by Gisele during one of her runway shows and wouldn’t stop fighting for her, which is kind of cute. The two had a passion-filled, on-and-off relationship that ended in 2005. Now, Gisele is happily married to five-time Super Bowl champion and New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady. Leonardo, however, is still hanging around those models. I’m available too, Leo!