Actress Dakota Fanning recently revealed that she is dipping her toes into the world of dating apps. In the October 2025 issue of Vanity Fair, the former child star appears alongside her sister, Elle Fanning, as they discuss their close relationship and love lives. The Ripley actress, now 31, shared that she recently joined Raya, the exclusive, invite-only dating app.
Her younger sister, 27, claimed, “She has never done this. Ever. But the other day..."
“I did it for fun,” responded Dakota, before adding, “My girlfriend made it for me."
"Maybe my husband is there," Elle told her sister, to which Dakota replied, "I can confirm that he is not."
During the interview, Elle encouraged Dakota to pull up her Raya profile anyway. As Dakota scrolled through a few potential matches on the app, often coined as the "Tinder for celebrities," she admitted, “I haven’t seen a ton of familiar faces yet.” Elle pointed out that most of them look pretty much identical.
The Uptown Girls actress has remained mostly quiet about her love life throughout the years. She dated model and artist Jamie Strachan back in 2013. She was 19 then, and he was 32. After three years together, they broke up, but never publicly revealed the reason behind their split. During a 2016 interview with Town and Country, Dakota admitted that she found dating "horrific."
Although Dakota likes to keep her love life private, her younger sister explained to Vanity Fair why she’s excited to introduce her boyfriend, Gus Wenner.
“If your partner doesn’t post you on Instagram, that’s a red flag. I love my boyfriend, and we’re going to post each other,” Elle explained. She continued, “I’m so happy. And Dakota loves him. That’s the seal of approval.”
The October issue of Vanity Fair, featuring the Fanning sisters on the cover, is set to be available at newsstands, bookstores, and in mailboxes within the next few weeks.