From first selfie to red carpet: how long Gaten Matarazzo and Elizabeth Yu have been together

Netflix rolled out the blue carpet for Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2, but the moment that popped wasn't just the bending. Gaten Matarazzo showed up to back his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Yu, who's back as Princess Azula. Cute couple moment, sure, but it also doubled as a checkpoint in a relationship that's been quietly steady while both of their careers took off.The blue carpet momentYu hit the Los Angeles premiere looking every bit like Azula's real-world counterpart, and Matarazzo was there to cheer her on. Fans noticed, because of course they did, and the social media swooning kicked in immediately. Not that it's new for them — they've been doing this slow-and-steady thing for years.The backstory: eight years and countingThey reportedly met in 2017 and started dating in 2018 — yep, at 15. Since then, it's been a low-key timeline of the usual teenage rites (junior and senior prom), anniversaries, red carpets, and then the bigger stuff: career wins, bigger premieres, and now a second season of one of Netflix's heaviest hitters for Yu. The part people miss: long distance wasn't a hurdle for them so much as the default setting. Matarazzo has talked about it — first while juggling Stranger Things, and as Yu started booking roles of her own — and how they made the logistics into a strength instead of a problem. "A big key to it is thriving through distance. That's kind of what we were thrust into early on. I was working on the show and [she] was also simultaneously pursuing and starting her own career in the same industry." What they're juggling in 2026 Elizabeth Yu: Back as Princess Azula in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2, premiering June 25 on Netflix. It's a big follow-up after her turn in May December, and her LA premiere showing pretty much cemented her as one to watch this season. Netflix has been teasing new footage ahead of the drop, so expect the Azula focus to keep ramping up. Gaten Matarazzo: Moving into a new lane post-Stranger Things. He's producing an absurdist comedy called Pizza Movie and gearing up for his West End debut as Mark in a revival of Jonathan Larson's Rent. Film, theater, producing — he's basically speed-running a portfolio year. Point is, they're both slammed — streaming, film, theater, the whole buffet — and still showing up for each other in public without making it A Whole Thing. If their latest carpet is any sign, they're handling distance, fame, and scheduling chaos like pros. Thoughts on Gaten and Elizabeth's long-game relationship? Drop them below.

From first selfie to red carpet: how long Gaten Matarazzo and Elizabeth Yu have been together

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