TikTok star and gymnast Olivia Dunne has spoken candidly about the “worrisome” attention she’s receiving from men – while revealing that police had to be involved in a particularly disturbing incident.
The 20-year-old LSU college athlete and influencer — who has more than 6.8 million followers on TikTok and 3.1 million followers on Instagram — opened up to the Today show about the darker side of her online fame, just days ago after her trainer revealed this, she hired a bodyguard to protect her from the hordes of screaming teenage fans who flocked to her meetings.
“They gave us some new rules just to protect us: we are not allowed to go into the stands after the meetings and we have a new security person who travels with us,” explained Olivia – or Livvy as she is known online.
The recent incident with the “rude” fans attempting to “tackle” Olivia at a meetup wasn’t the first time her coaches have raised concerns about her safety — the Today Show revealed that LSU was fired over an incident last year went to the police,” but did not share any further details of what or who was involved.
TikTok star and gymnast Olivia Dunne has spoken candidly about the “worrying” attention she’s receiving from men after her team was forced to hire extra security
Earlier this year, the LSU gymnastics team was forced to add an extra layer of safety for the remainder of the season after a gang of “rude” teenagers attempted to bully a 20-year-old named Livvy
However, Olivia opened up about her concerns over the “threatening” comments she’s receiving on social media, explaining, “There are some people who do occasionally come forward and that’s a bit concerning.”
The 20-year-old, who makes a staggering seven-figure sums annually from her social media accounts, hit back at any suggestion that her content, which ranges between tongue-in-cheek dance and gymnastics videos and bikini snaps on the beach, is for any negative attention to blame who receives it.
“As a woman, you are not responsible for how a man looks at you and objectifies you. That’s not a woman’s responsibility,” she said.
Still, Olivia’s overwhelming social media fame has forced her – and her coaches – to implement new rules and regulations to keep athletes safe.
‘[Social media] changes everything,” said Olivia’s LSU coach Jay Clark. “It creates a false sense of accessibility and familiarity [makes] Followers feel like there is a personal connection.”
Nowhere was that more evident than at a recent LSU meeting against Utah, which was swarmed by hordes of teenage fans trying to bully the online superstar.
“In the past I’ve gotten some of my supporters to get together and watch and cheer for LSU, but that was crazy. It really was,’ Olivia said of the disturbing incident.
At the time, Olivia shared a personal request with her fans on Twitter, asking them to be “respectful” to her fellow gymnasts.
“I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but when you come to a meeting I would like to ask you to be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our jobs,” she wrote.
Of the attention she’s getting, Olivia told Today that it’s “difficult to wrap up.” [her] head around’
A video posted to Twitter by gymnast Samantha Peszek showed the crowd of fans chanting Olivia’s name outside the venue. As Samantha walked out, they started swearing at her and aggressively yelling things like “Give us Livvy”.
Olivia has not attended the team’s meetings recently due to an injury. She last competed on December 12, instead supporting her teammates from the sidelines.
Previously, there was little detail as to what led to her being benched.
A group of “rude” teenagers harassed her and the other gymnasts as they left a meeting in Utah on Jan. 6 — and they even yelled rude things at their teammates, calling them “Livvy 2.0” and complaining that they weren’t them
But the blonde beauty revealed earlier this month that it’s her foot that was injured, posting a photo of herself in a boot to her Instagram Stories.
It is unclear when she can compete again.
Originally from New Jersey, Olivia began gymnastics at the age of three.
“I sacrificed my summers quite a bit. You know, those pool days, those beach days with your friends, I’ve been working out at the gym,” she said today.
Now one of the top earners in college sports, Olivia is said to have amassed a net worth of $2.3 million thanks to her athletic prowess and her many lucrative sponsorship deals.
Though she didn’t say exactly how much she made, she revealed to Today it was in the millions.
“I am very grateful to be in seven figures. It’s very cool that someone in college has the opportunity to do that now,” she said.
Olivia showed off her injured foot in a boot, which she has stopped competing in for the time being
Originally from New Jersey, Olivia started gymnastics at the age of three – and is now one of the top earners in college sports
In addition to her achievements as an athlete, she has also made a name for herself as a well-known star on TikTok and Instagram, where she regularly documents her lavish lifestyle with her combined nine million followers
Olivia grew her fan base on social media by sharing a glimpse into her life as an NCAA gymnast — and all the glamorous perks that come with it.
And while the social media star soon became the most-followed collegiate athlete online, she was initially restricted from monetizing her internet endeavors because the NCAA had strict guidelines on selling sponsorships by its members.
That is, until June 30, 2021, when the organization changed its rules and announced it would allow its athletes to use their name, image and likeness to earn a profit – a move Olivia made when she was just 18 years ago, according to the New York Post.
But her fame has become so intense of late that her supporters have begun to wait outside their meetings to catch a glimpse of her – and things got so out of hand at one meeting that she and her teammates needed police escort
Thanks to her athletic ability and her many lucrative sponsorship deals, she has amassed a net worth of $2.3 million
But her fame has become so intense of late that her supporters have begun to wait outside their meetings to catch a glimpse of her – and things got so out of hand at one meeting that she and her teammates needed police escorts to get around to help them get to safety.
A group of “rude” teenagers harassed her and the other gymnasts as they left a meeting in Utah on Jan. 6 — and they even yelled rude things at their teammates, calling them “Livvy 2.0” and complaining that they weren’t them .
A video posted to Twitter by gymnast Samantha Peszek showed the crowd of fans chanting Olivia’s name outside the venue.
But her lack of competition hasn’t stopped her fans from showing up in droves to try and see her
Olivia (spotted watching her team play their last game on Jan. 13) has not attended the team’s meetings lately due to injuries, instead supporting her team-mates from the sidelines
As Samantha walked out, they started swearing at her and aggressively yelling things like “Give us Livvy” and “We want her” and “Where’s Livvy?”.
“When you leave the arena but you’re not Livvy,” she wrote in the video, adding the caption, “It’s actually so scary and disturbing and spasmodic. I am ashamed of her.”
Officials were said to have been forced to move the Louisiana State University (LSU) team bus to avoid the noisy crowd, while police were also called to help the athletes get to safety.
Afterwards, Olivia took to Twitter to ask her fans to be “respectful,” writing, “I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but when you guys come to a meeting I want to ask you to be respectful of others.” Gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job.’