How Olivia Dunne's Life Has Changed From Her Unexpected Internet Fame
Olivia Dunne — known as Livvy online — has enjoyed a successful gymnastics career from a young age that coincided with rising social media popularity. When she was 16 years old, she signed a letter of intent to attend Louisiana State University while also reaching 100,000 followers on Instagram. By 2020, Dunne had a massive following on both Instagram and TikTok, which only grew once she joined the LSU gymnastics team for the 2020-2021 season. "I don't feel too much pressure, because doing social media is always something that I've loved, and I've always taken it pretty seriously," Dunne told the New York Post in 2021 when discussing her internet fame. The gymnast was able to parlay her online following into lucrative name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals as a college student. "When I was 10, I took it so seriously ... It has benefited me in the end," she added.
In April, Dunne's star continued to rise as she was selected to appear in Sports Illustrated's famed Swimsuit Issue. However, the LSU athlete still had trouble understanding why some of her posts had such a profound reach. "My most viral TikTok got 35.7 million views, which is crazy. I can't even wrap my head around, but I'm just showing off my gymnastics skills," she told the publication.
Unfortunately, her massive success has led to several drawbacks. That included security concerns at one LSU gym meet that was attended by a group of unruly Livvy fans.
Why Olivia Dunne has security at LSU
Certain aspects of Olivia Dunne's time attending LSU have been similar to the typical college experience. Even with her NIL deals, Dunne told Elle during an interview in July 2023 that she still had three roommates. That said, her online success has impacted her student lifestyle in one significant way: She takes all classes remotely. "There were some scares in the past, and I just want to be as careful as possible. I don't want people to know my daily schedule and where I am," she told Elle.
An unnerving scene unfolded during Dunne's team's first meet in January as a hoard of (mostly) male fans attended and formed a giant crowd outside while chanting "Livvy!" As a result, LSU's gymnast coach, Jay Clark, added a security guard who would accompany Dunne and her teammates. "They gave us some new rules — for us athletes. Just to keep us safe ... and we have a new security person that travels with us," Dunne said while appearing on "Today" in January 2023 following the chaotic meet. "There are some people occasionally that do reach out, and it is a bit concerning," she explained of fans who have crossed the line.
Some people online have pointed to Dunne's revealing outfits on social media as the reason for garnering the unwanted attention. "As a woman, you are not responsible for how a man looks at you and objectifies you," Dunne told "Today." The massive following has also led the promising athlete to a financial windfall.
The most Olivia Dunne has made for a single post
Olivia Dunne signed her first NIL deal in 2021 with the fitness apparel brand Vuori. While the financial details of the deal were not released, an insider at Forbes said it was in the "mid six-figures." Even with the big payday, Dunne tried to stay focused on what brought her success in the first place. "Right now it's all about trying to find a balance between school, social media and gymnastics. All them are top priorities in my life," she told Forbes.
Almost two years after that first NIL deal, Dunne opened up about the money she makes off brand deals for sponsored posts on her social media. While appearing on the "Full Send Podcast" in July 2023, the LSU gymnast was asked what was the highest amount she pulled in for a single post. "I usually don't ever talk about money, but ... I would say, six figures," Dunne replied. Looking for more info, the hosts asked if that figure was higher than $500,000. "Yeah, yeah, I'm very fortunate," she answered.
According to On3's NIL 100 list of the highest-paid college athletes, Dunne is worth $3.2 million. Individual success is not all she is focused on, as she has set up her own NIL fund to benefit others. "[The future collective] can fund NIL deals for female athletes and get people talking about the underlying problem, which is that money needs to go out to support women's sports," Dunne told Sports Illustrated in April.