You’ve seen the TikTok edits. The ones where Rudy Pankow—our collective favorite Pogue, JJ Maybank—is looking intensely at a co-star, usually Madison Bailey, and the comments are just a wasteland of "please tell me they’re dating" or "is Rudy Pankow single yet?" It’s honestly wild how much the internet wants this man to be unattached.
But here’s the reality check.
Rudy Pankow is not single. He hasn't been for a long time. While half the Outer Banks fandom is busy shipping "Jiara" in real life, Rudy has been quietly (and sometimes not-so-quietly) building a life with Elaine Siemek. If you aren't familiar with the name, she was an assistant on the OBX set, and they’ve been a thing since 2020.
The Elaine Siemek Factor: Who is He Actually Dating?
It’s easy to get caught up in the show’s chemistry. Rudy and Madison Bailey have it in spades. But that's acting. In the real world, Rudy and Elaine have one of the most resilient relationships in young Hollywood, mostly because they’ve had to survive a lot of noise.
They met right at the start. 2019 was the year everything changed for the cast, and Elaine was there behind the scenes. By November 2020, Rudy made it "Instagram official" with a birthday post. Since then, they’ve been inseparable, traveling to Italy, Mexico, and French Polynesia. Honestly, their travel photos look like something out of a high-end boutique magazine, mostly because Elaine is a professional film photographer. She’s the one usually behind those moody, artistic shots of Rudy you see circulating.
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Why the "Is He Single?" Rumors Never Die
The internet is a persistent place. Every time Rudy doesn't post a photo with Elaine for a month, people start the breakup countdown.
- The "Jiara" Obsession: Fans love JJ and Kiara so much that they struggle to separate the actors from the characters. This isn't new, but for Rudy, it’s been particularly intense.
- Social Media Silence: Rudy isn't a "post every meal" kind of guy. He’s gone on record saying he prefers to keep his private life private. When a celeb goes quiet, the default assumption from fans is usually "trouble in paradise."
- The Stunt Double Drama: This one got weird. Recently, Madison Bailey was spotted out with a guy who looked a lot like Rudy. It turned out to be Austin Tyler, a stunt double from the show. The internet lost its mind for a second, thinking "Rudison" was finally happening. It wasn't.
Is Rudy Pankow Single After Leaving Outer Banks?
If you’ve kept up with the show, you know Season 4 was... a lot. Without dropping too many spoilers for the two people who haven't seen it, JJ’s journey took a massive turn. With Rudy’s character being written off, speculation spiked again. Would leaving the show mean leaving the relationship he built on that set?
Nope.
If anything, leaving the "OBX bubble" seems to have solidified things. He’s still very much with Elaine. Even during the press tours where he had to address the "lack of professionalism" rumors—the ones claiming he and Madison couldn't even be in the same room because of partner jealousy—he stood by Elaine. He’s been her biggest defender against the weirdly aggressive "cancel culture" she’s faced from certain corners of the fandom.
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"I’m very happy in my relationship," Rudy told Cosmopolitan in a recent interview. He basically said that while he knows people want to believe a certain narrative, he’s leading his life based on what he actually cares about. And what he cares about is her.
What’s Next for Rudy in 2026?
So, if he’s not single and he’s not on Outer Banks anymore, what is he doing?
He’s moving into the big leagues. Rudy is set to star in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him, which is slated for a 2026 release. He’s playing a character named Scotty, and it’s a much more "adult" role than the chaotic Pogue we grew to love. This move is huge. It’s the "Post-OBX" test.
He’s also been linked to projects like The Wrecking Crew and remains a face of several high-end fashion collaborations.
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Why You Should Stop Searching for His Relationship Status
Look, it’s fun to speculate. But Rudy has been incredibly consistent. He’s a guy from Alaska who found fame fast, but he’s kept his feet on the ground by sticking with the person who was there before the "Pogue Life" merch was in every Target.
If you’re looking for a "single Rudy" era, you’re probably going to be waiting a while. He’s chosen stability over the Hollywood dating carousel.
The Actionable Takeaway for Fans:
If you want to support Rudy, follow his photography (and Elaine’s). They often share their work on separate film-focused accounts. It gives a much better look into his actual life than the tabloid rumors ever will. Also, keep an eye out for Reminders of Him—it’s going to be the project that defines whether he can break out of the "teen heartthrob" mold for good.
Basically, the "is Rudy Pankow single" question has a very firm "no" for an answer. But his career? That’s just getting started.