At a Glance
- Elle Fanning received a surprise video message from Jack Black on the Jan. 11 Golden Globes red carpet
- Black joked about her “hall pass” comments and sent greetings to her boyfriend Gus Wenner
- Fanning previously called the 56-year-old actor “sex on legs” and “the perfect man”
- Why it matters: The playful exchange caps years of Fanning’s very public crush on the married star
Elle Fanning’s long-running admiration for Jack Black turned into a red-carpet moment when the comedian sent a cheeky video message to the 27-year-old actress at the 2026 Golden Globes.
The Surprise Message
While Fanning was being interviewed by Access Hollywood at the Jan. 11 ceremony, producers rolled a clip of Black responding to her past praise.
“You make me very embarrassed with all this hall pass talk,” Black said in the clip. “Look, I’m very flattered, but I have to keep my eye closed because I am so embarrassed.”
He blew her a kiss and added, “Much love to you and yours.”
Black, married to Tanya Haden since 2006, also addressed Fanning’s boyfriend, Rolling Stone executive Gus Wenner, who accompanied her to the Nikki Glaser-hosted event.
“Hi to your boyfriend also,” Black said. “Dude, I didn’t do anything.”
Fanning’s Relief
Fanning told Access Hollywood she feared Black might take out a restraining order over her repeated compliments.
“Oh my gosh, I was worried that he was gonna have a restraining order against me,” she said. “I just love Jack Black. He’s loveable.”
Her sister, Dakota Fanning, previously revealed the siblings share a group chat devoted to the School of Rock star.
Lie-Detector Test
During a September Vanity Fair Lie Detection Test segment, Dakota reminded her sister she once labeled Black “the perfect man.”
“Would you leave your boyfriend if Jack Black declared his love for you?” Dakota asked.
Fanning answered no, but the polygraph registered “some deception,” prompting laughter from both sisters.
“Gus doesn’t care,” Fanning said, noting that Wenner met Black at the 2024 Golden Globes and told him, “You’re her hall pass, by the way.”
Third-Party Crush
Tanner Smith, reality star and castmate of Abbey Romeo, also gushed about meeting Black on The Kelly Clarkson Show while attending Netflix’s Summer Break party in Los Angeles, according to Sophia A. Reynolds for News Of Losangeles.
