Elle Fanning returns to the big screen with her role in Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator franchise movie, Predator: Badlands. Fans who love everything about Fanning’s professional achievements also wonder about her personal life. Fanning has been dating the executive chairman of Rolling Stone, Gus Wenner, since 2023.
Fanning was seen with the former CEO of the outlet in November 2023, sparking romance rumors. They were photographed walking hand-in-hand in New York City (via Page Six). They ate at The Waverly Inn with Lorde, Annabelle Dexter Jones, and Wenner’s brother, Theo Wenner.
A few months later, the Maleficent actress and Wenner went public with their relationship. They made their red carpet debut at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2024. They also attended Vas Morgan and Michael Braun’s afterparty in Los Angeles. Wenner shared photos of them in their Golden Globes attire on his Instagram.
Fanning shared photos of Wenner carrying her and spending a holiday with her on her Instagram on Valentine’s Day in 2025. She captioned the post, “Happy Valentine’s Love of my Life. I got your back always.”
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Wenner also posted a Valentine’s Day message for The Neon Demon actress. He shared a video of Fanning walking on the street and licking an ice cream cone, captioning it, “Everyday is valentines day my love you are my heart.”
Wenner is also the son of Jane Schindelheim and Jann Wenner, who are the co-founders of Rolling Stone. He was one-half of the folk-rock band, Gus + Scout. The other namesake member of the band was none other than Demi Moore and Bruce Willis’s daughter, Scout Willis.
Elle Fanning’s Relationship History
Before Gus Wenner, Elle Fanning was in a relationship with Max Minghella from 2018 to 2023. She met the English actor on the set of the movie Teen Spirit, which was directed by Minghella. The duo kept their relationship very private.
When they first worked together, Fanning gushed about her ex during an interview with ET. She shared, “I mean, we just really love working together. That was, like, very special” (via Us Weekly). After the movie, they were seen together in London and Florence. A source shared with Us Weekly about their relationship:
They were very low-key and cozy with each other, and looking over for one another and chatting quietly to each other when they were together looking at stuff.
While they seemed to have a pretty loving relationship, it did not last forever. After four years of dating, they reportedly called it quits sometime in April 2023. After her breakup, she shared in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar that she was “a hopeless romantic”. She shared:
I’m a hopeless romantic. I believe in love at first sight. Call me crazy, but I believe in those things. I feel that it’s my destiny.
The Great actress also previously dated musician and actor Zalman Band when she was just 17 years old (via StyleCaster). They were spotted together multiple times in 2015. However, their relationship was very short-lived.
She also had a brief fling with production assistant Dylan Beck when she was just 16. They reportedly met after a mutual friend introduced them, and they were spotted together multiple times. They also eventually called it quits after just a few months of dating.
Is Elle Fanning Related to Dakota Fanning?
The Predator: Badlands actress is also the sister of actress Dakota Fanning, who rose to prominence with her child actor roles. Dakota appeared in several television roles in the early 2000s. She made her film debut in I Am Sam in 2001. She also appeared in War of the Worlds, Coraline, The Runaways, and the Twilight movies.
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The two sisters grew up in Conyers, Georgia. They moved to Los Angeles for Dakota’s career when she was just six. In a 2016 interview with Town & Country, Dakota shared about her upbringing:
I was raised by very traditional Southern parents with Southern manners. You don’t air your dirty laundry to people that aren’t your family or your friends. Why would I ever want to portray myself as anything other than together?
Dakota once shared that the beginning of her career was “coincidental”, adding that she did a commercial and had a good time acting in it. Elle shared with Porter that they used to play out “these elaborate scenes around the house” even before their fame.
Dakota and Elle have a four-year age difference, and they started acting around the same time. Elle also appeared in I Am Sam as a 2-year-old. The Fanning sisters are supportive of each other. In 2021, they came together to start their own production company, Lewellen Pictures. They shared in a statement at the time:
We are thrilled to be launching this company together. Our goal is to tell stories, through comedy and drama, which are authentic to the human experience, and not just from our own perspective.
In 2019, it was announced that the sisters were coming together for the adaptation of the novel, The Nightingale. They will play sisters in the movie, and it will mark the first time that they have acted together in a project.
What do you think about Elle Fanning’s relationship with Gus Wenner? Let us know in the comments below!
