Olivia Dunne’s mega-fame forces more change at LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. (BVM) – LSU couldn’t have anticipated the fame and rowdy fanbase that gymnast Olivia Dunne would bring to campus and the security challenges that would follow. She’s no longer able to attend classes in person and she’s the reason why the Tigers previously upped their security.
Dunne, who will be a senior in the fall of 2023, told Elle magazine on Tuesday that she no longer attends classes in person for “safety reasons.” Notably, it’s unclear exactly how long Dunne has been taking online classes for (she’s taking marketing classes because she wants to turn her brand into a business after she graduates).
“There were some scares in the past and I just want to be as careful as possible,” Dunne told Elle magazine. “I don’t want people to know my daily schedule and where I am.”
A simple Google search of “Olivia Dunne merchandise” speaks volumes to the obsession surrounding Dunne. The 20-year-old previously admitted that there are often “12-year-olds and their dads” asking for photos and autographs.
A video (shown below) from Dunne’s junior season points to the dozens – maybe even hundreds – of crazed-teenage boys chanting “Livvy” and “We want her” near the Tigers’ team bus in order to get a glimpse of Dunne.
There’s a group of fans that keep chanting “Livvy”
For those that don’t know, Livvy Dunne for LSU is the most followed college athlete on social media and her NIL is valued somewhere near $2.7 million. pic.twitter.com/e8R0OzbhgA
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) January 7, 2023
@sampeszek This is actually so scary and disturbing and cringey. I’m embarrassed for them. 😬 #livvy #ncaagymnastics #stop Leave her alone.
Fortunately for Dunne, the LSU campus is fairly tamed, but according to Elle magazine, “Olivia says she’s careful when she walks around campus, conscious that she has eyes on her.”
Overall, the Tigers athletics program has handled Dunne’s fame pretty well. Louisiana State put in new security measures after attention sparked a police presence at a junior-year gymnastics meet. It includes not going into the stands after meets and additional security, such as a bodyguard. Dunne’s well-being has often been threatened online, and she told the TODAY Show that the university went to the police over an “incident.”
The security challenges run deep with Dunne who has quickly earned her status as an internet celebrity. She’s a superstar with over four million followers on Instagram and 7.5 million on TikTok. She confirmed that she’s earning seven figures thanks to NIL ($3.3 million dollar valuation by On3). The only college athlete with a bigger valuation than her is LeBron James’ son, Bronny James.
Through all the fame, Dunne remains humble. She told Elle magazine that she “did not expect there to be that many people out there to see me and my team (during a 2022 meet).”
Dunne’s fame, however, affects other gymnasts. Outkick reported that the mother of a Utah gymnast saw her daughter and teammate get harassed by fans who said, “You are not Livvy, but you will do.”
Nonetheless, Dunne’s increased popularity raises even more security concerns as she embarks on her senior year at LSU in the fall.
“I just want to coach [and] I don’t want to have my head on a swivel worried about if somebody is coming out of the stands,” LSU gymnastics head coach Jay Clark told Elle magazine.
