LSU star gymnastics reveals 12-year-old boys and their dads are her biggest autograph fans
LSU star gymnast Olivia Dunne revealed that her most feverish supporters are normally 12-year-old boys and their fathers as she spoke about dealing with her viral fame.
Speaking on the “Full Send Podcast,” Dunne added that while men often go out of their way to get her attention, her female fans tend to be “a little more reserved.”
“Ever since I did Sports Illustrated, there are 12-year-olds and their dads (asking for autographs), which is part of what I do,” she said.
“I love meeting all my fans, but especially the girls. They are always so sweet. (The boys) are much more ahead.’
Her comments come months after LSU was forced to hire a bodyguard for Dunne when she was harassed by a group of teenage boys at a gymnastics event in Utah.
Olivia Dunne shot to fame on TikTok when she starred for LSU gym and landed a slew of sponsorship deals
Dunne won legions of fans with her gymnastics displays, and she says her biggest supporters are often young boys and their fathers
Dunne rose to fame online after her gymnastics shows and striking looks garnered attention on TikTok and Instagram in recent months.
She landed a string of sponsorship deals as she went viral, revealing on the Full Send Podcast that she even paid over $500,000 for a single social media post.
But she added that her popularity has led to some unexpected encounters with fans.
“Usually when people come up to me and they’re older, they say it’s for their daughter’s friend’s sister’s dog,” she said.
“I love meeting female fans. They are a bit more reserved. They don’t usually come to see me as often as the boys, or at least they’re a little more nervous.’
Dunne has won legions of fans, but she admitted she prefers to meet her female supporters because they are ‘slightly more reserved’
In January, a crowd of teenage boys waited outside a game in Utah to catch a glimpse of Dunne
LSU was forced to hire a bodyguard for Dunne due to her viral notoriety
The 20-year-old gymnast has seen her life change dramatically in recent times and she is often regarded as one of the most influential athletes in college sports.
In January, she traveled to Puerto Rico to shoot for the first time for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition.
But that same month, a gymnastics competition in Utah was thrown into chaos when a crowd of teenage boys waited outside to catch a glimpse of Dunne.
The teen fans were heard calling her teammates “Livvy 2.0,” with the mother of another Utah gymnast claiming her daughter was “swamped” by the crowd.
Officials were forced to move the Louisiana State University (LSU) team bus to avoid them, while police were stationed out front to get the athletes to safety.
Jennifer, the mother of fellow gymnast Jillian Hoffman, posted online, “As we walked to the car, the group swarmed my daughter and her teammate.
“They literally said to their face, you’re not Livvy, but you will, can we take a picture.”
She took to social media after the incident to ask her fans to calm down during her events and show more respect in the future.
She said, “I will always appreciate and appreciate your support, but when you come to a meeting, I want to ask that you respect the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community because we are just doing our job.”
Olivia has 4.2 million followers on Instagram and is reportedly worth around $2.3 million
The gymnastics starlet has found viral fame after sharing a glimpse into her life as an NCAA gymnast and all the glamorous perks that come with it
Olivia looked sensational as she ap[peared in Sports Illustrated earlier this year
Olivia has 4.2 million followers on Instagram and is reportedly worth around $2.3million, according to ON3 Sports.
The New Jersey-born star has been participating in gymnastics since the age of three and is now one of the top earners in collegiate sports.
Dunne has competed for years and eventually joined the US Nationals Team in 2017, however, in 2020 she stepped away from elite gymnastics to compete at the college level instead, joining Louisiana State University.
She grew her social media following by sharing an inside look at her life as an NCAA gymnast and all the glamorous perks that come with it.