Elle Fanning’s Happy Couple: Gus Wenner Earns Dakota’s Blessing and Social Media Seal of Approval

Avery Sinclair here, ready to spill the tea with a side of skepticism: yes, Elle Fanning’s romance with Gus Wenner is getting the social proof treatment, complete with sisterly scrutiny and public flirtation. Elle, 27, confirmed to Vanity Fair that posting about a partner on Instagram matters to her, and apparently to us all who watch these romance arcs unfold in glossy magazines and trending feeds. The bigger twist? Her sister Dakota Fanning, 31, has given Gus the official “seal of approval,” after a chance Las Vegas encounter that seems straight out of a romcom but with paparazzi tax added for flavor.

The timeline is straightforward if you’re tracking the social media breadcrumbs. Elle started dating Gus Wenner, the 35-year-old Rolling Stone magazine executive chairman and son of founder Jann Wenner, in 2023. The couple’s bond seemed to strengthen as Elle publicly embraced Gus on her platforms, signaling that visibility is part of their relationship strategy. This is not just about heart emojis and vacation snaps; it’s about public narratives in a celebrity ecosystem where a couple’s online presence can be as telling as any interview.

The most eyebrow-raising chapter arrived when Dakota Fanning indeed entered the scene in a way that would make any big sister proud or possibly exasperated. The sisters’ Las Vegas night, captured in videos, showed Gus dancing with Dakota as Elle orbited elsewhere at the time. It wasn’t just a casual hangout; it became a reputational postcard. Dakota later teased the moment with the kind of candid humor you expect from siblings in Hollywood: a stern, affectionate “talk” about the situation that ultimately left Gus with a sense of belonging in the Fanning family circle. Dakota’s verbatim recollection in Vanity Fair reinforces the message: he’s the brother she never had, a familial seal of approval that adds a layer of legitimacy to the romance.

On Gus’s side, the sentiment is likewise warm and public. He marked his relationship with Elle with an Instagram tribute on Valentine’s Day, describing her as his heart and signaling that daily romance is not just a trope but a lived experience for them. The joint dance between professional status, public affection, and family endorsement paints a picture of a couple navigating fame with a blend of conventional romance and the calculated visibility that comes with Rolling Stone scions, red carpets, and the ever-watchful eye of fans.

So what does this all mean in the grand scheme of celebrity matchmaking where every Instagram post and sisterly talk becomes a talking point? It signals that Elle and Gus are in the phase where visibility meets acceptance, with Dakota acting as both a confidante and check on whether this relationship is built to last beyond the club after-parties and Vegas gambles. It’s a story about how families in the industry manage romance under a media microscope, turning a private spark into a public narrative that still manages to feel, at times, surprisingly grounded.

If you’re hoping for a dramatic rupture or a bombshell, you won’t find one here. Instead, you get a well-orchestrated chapter in the ongoing saga of celebrity romance where consent, consent to be posted, sisterly approval, and public declarations collide in a neat package. What’s next to watch for? Will there be more PDA, more guarded interviews, and more social proof as Elle and Gus continue their collaboration in this very glossy, very watched relationship?

And that, dear reader, is the current status: a romance that enjoys sisterly blessing, a public affection streak, and a daily reminder that in Hollywood, love is a well-curated performance with a very real heart behind the curtain.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Vanity Fair
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed (GO)