Dakota Fanning revealed stepping into the world of dating apps appearing alongside her younger sister Elle on the October 2025 cover of Vanity Fair.
The pair opened up about family life, romance and everything in between. During the interview, Dakota revealed she recently joined the invite-only dating app Raya.
“She’s never done this. Ever,” Elle pointed out, while Dakota clarified that she downloaded the app “for fun.”
She added with a laugh, “My girlfriend made it for me … I was like, if I don’t, then I’m going to think—” before Elle chimed in, “Maybe my husband is there.”
Dakota’s quickly replied, “I can confirm that he is not.”
When asked if she’s spotted any famous names while swiping, the 31-year-old admitted she hasn’t seen many familiar faces just yet, but some.
Dakota has long kept her love life private.
In a 2016 interview with Town & Country, she described dating as “horrific,” explaining that sitting through a traditional dinner date felt “so stiff.”
At the time, she admitted she preferred meeting people through friends because then “they are most likely not a freak.”
Elle, on the other hand, has been more open about her relationship with boyfriend Gus Wenner.
“If your partner doesn’t post you on Instagram, that’s a red flag,” she told Vanity Fair. “I love my boyfriend, and we’re going to post each other. I’m so happy. And Dakota loves him. That’s the seal of approval.”
The sisters even recalled how Dakota met Wenner for the first time, without Elle around. They both happened to be at the same Las Vegas after-party while Elle was in Paris.
“She turned around, and there he was. Then they had this whole night of gambling,” Elle said, remembering how her friends sent her videos of Dakota dancing with Wenner.
Dakota admitted she had fun that evening, though she also offered Wenner what she called “stern words … warnings, cautions said with a smile.”
She added, “It went great. He’s the brother I never had.”
Alongside the dating talk, Elle also addressed a party photo that resurfaced from her Instagram.
During Vanity Fair’s lie detector segment, Dakota asked her sister to explain the snapshot of her dancing on a table in a pink dress.
Elle laughed as she clarified, “First of all, you were not looking at my butt in a disgusting way. You were, like, dancing and doing, like, a stank face, basically.”
Dakota agreed, saying, “Yeah, I got caught in a bad moment. Totally.”
Elle then shared the story behind the moment.
“We were in Miami at our friend’s bachelorette party, and it was my birthday that night as well.”
