Some romances come with a soundtrack. This one comes with a gondola. Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun were spotted locking lips during a romantic canal ride through Venice this week, and the timing and location made the moment feel less like a random paparazzi catch and more like a deliberate callback to where their story began.
The Gondola Moment
The couple was photographed on Thursday, September 3, drifting through Venice’s canals during the 2026 Venice Film Festival, and they weren’t shy about the cameras catching them mid-kiss. In the photos, Sweeney leans in toward Braun, hands cupping his face as their gondola glides along the water. Braun kept it casual in a white button-down, blue shorts, sunglasses, and a backward baseball cap, while Sweeney opted for a flowing white dress with a yellow cardigan draped over her shoulders.
The PDA didn’t stop on the water. The pair were also seen holding hands and smiling as they wandered the city on foot afterward, making little effort to keep their affection under wraps.
Why Venice, Specifically, Matters
For most couples, a European gondola ride would just be a nice date. For Sweeney and Braun, it’s practically sentimental. The two first crossed paths in Venice back in June 2025, while both were attending Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s high-profile wedding. What started as photos of them simply spending time together in the same city quickly snowballed into dating speculation that neither confirmed nor denied for months.
That slow burn eventually became something more public. Sweeney brought Braun as her date to the Season 3 premiere of “Euphoria” in April, and shortly after, she made things Instagram-official, ending months of will-they-won’t-they chatter. Returning to Venice together well over a year later, and kissing in the very city where it all started, gave this latest outing an unmistakable sense of narrative closure.
From Casual to Committed
The relationship hasn’t always looked this solid from the outside. Early reporting from People described the pairing as “casually” dating, with insiders at the time describing things as low-pressure and unserious. Sweeney herself was reportedly focused on work and living her life rather than diving into anything intense.
Clearly, things have evolved. In recent months, Sweeney has reportedly been spending time with Braun’s children from his previous marriage to Yael Cohen, a detail that suggests the relationship has moved well past casual territory and into something with real staying power.
What the Experts Are Saying
The pairing, an A-list actress and a veteran music industry executive, has drawn its share of curiosity from people trying to make sense of the match. Celebrity matchmaker Alessandra Conti weighed in on the dynamic, admitting the coupling doesn’t immediately make obvious sense on paper, given the gap between Sweeney’s rapidly rising star power and Braun’s more behind-the-scenes industry role. Even so, Conti expressed genuine optimism about the pairing’s staying power, describing the contrast between the two as complementary rather than mismatched.
A Festival Full of Spotlight Moments
The Venice trip hasn’t just been about romance for Sweeney. She’s currently serving as a brand ambassador for Armani Beauty, the official beauty sponsor of this year’s festival, and has already turned heads with her red carpet looks throughout the week. Pairing high-profile festival appearances with an increasingly public relationship has made this one of Sweeney’s most talked-about weeks of the year.
The Bottom Line
Whether or not this becomes one of Hollywood’s next long-term power couples remains to be seen, but Sweeney and Braun certainly aren’t hiding from the possibility. Returning to the exact city where their connection first sparked, and being far more open about their affection than they were a year ago, suggests this relationship has grown from a quiet rumor into something both of them seem genuinely comfortable showing off.
