Livvy Dunne: From Gymnastics Star to Social Media Icon

Olivia Paige Dunne, better known to millions as “Livvy,” is one of the most famous names in college sports and digital media. Dunne, who is only 22 years old, has gone from being a talented gymnast to a global influencer, model, and trailblazer for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. Her journey shows how combining athletic skill with smart social media strategy can lead to over 13 million followers on different platforms and millions of dollars in endorsements. Dunne is still changing what success means for young athletes as of 2025, after her competitive gymnastics career is over. This article talks about her life, her accomplishments, and how she will always be remembered.

Early Years and the Beginning of Gymnastics

Olivia was born in Westwood, New Jersey, on October 1, 2002. She grew up in Hillsdale, which is close by. Olivia’s parents, David and Katherine Dunne, were both athletes. Her father played football at Rutgers University and her mother was a gymnast. Olivia was involved in sports from a young age. She has a younger sister named Julianna who has been in the spotlight with her a few times.

Dunne’s love for gymnastics began when she was three years old, not because she wanted to compete in the Olympics but because she liked the look of a “sparkly pink leotard,” as she later wrote on her personal website. She began training at ENA Gymnastics in Paramus, New Jersey, when she was five years old. Her coaches were Craig and Jennifer Zappa. She worked hard and it paid off quickly: At six, she started as a level 4 gymnast and went on to win the New Jersey State Championship, breaking records in bars and the all-around. Dunne’s mother homeschooled her using the Abeka Academy curriculum starting at age 14. This let her focus on her growing career while also getting a lot of training.

This early groundwork made it possible for elite-level competition. She made her American Classic debut in 2014 when she was only 11 years old. She came in 28th all-around and 20th on floor. She made her international debut at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy, where she came in sixth overall. By 2017, she was on the U.S. Junior Women’s National Team. These successes made her seem like a prodigy, but injuries and the lure of college life would soon change her course.

Gymnastics Career: Successes and Struggles at LSU

Dunne’s great career in high school went smoothly into college. She became a senior in 2018 and competed in events like the U.S. Classic. In November 2019, she chose Louisiana State University (LSU) because of the program’s coaches, facilities, and school spirit. She started school in 2020, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on leadership, sociology, and sports studies. She was named Academic All-SEC.

The COVID-19 pandemic started when she was at LSU, which gave her an extra year of eligibility. Dunne started her career in the 2020–21 season and focused on the uneven bars and floor exercise. She scored 9.925 on bars (twice, once at Auburn in 2021) and 9.9 on floor, both career highs. She got important scores, like a 9.9 on bars at the 2021 SEC Championships and a 9.90 at the NCAA Championships.

Injuries pushed her to her limits. She had two torn labrums, a torn bicep, and a leg stress reaction in 2023, which kept her out for most of the season. But in 2023–24, she bounced back and competed eight times on the floor (hitting 9.9 twice) and twice on the bars, including at the SEC Championships, where LSU won the team title. That year, her work helped the Tigers win their first NCAA national championship in program history.

Dunne chose her fifth year in 2024–25 because she wanted to “recapture some glory,” as she put it. She took part in the first four meets, but an avulsion fracture in her kneecap cut her season short. She said on X (formerly Twitter) on April 17, 2025, that she was done with competitive gymnastics: ” out gymnastics it’s been real… and of course forever LSU! Even though the finale was cut short because of an injury, her LSU legacy includes full arenas, partly because she was a star, and her contributions to the team’s success.

Rise as an Influencer: Digital Sensation and NIL Pioneer

Dunne has an impact that goes far beyond the gym. She joined TikTok in 2020 and at first only posted gymnastics routines. But she quickly branched out to lifestyle content, mixing athletic feats with relatable looks at college life. She had more than 8 million TikTok followers and 5 million Instagram followers by February 2023, making her the most-followed NCAA athlete at the time. She has more than 13 million followers across all of her platforms, with 5.4 million on Instagram and 8 million on TikTok.

The Supreme Court’s decision in 2021 that NIL deals were legal changed the game. Dunne was one of the first athletes to sign with WME Sports under NIL. He worked with brands like American Eagle, L’Oréal, Vuori, Grubhub, and Bodyarmor. According to On3.com, her endorsements were worth more than $4.1 million during her last season, making her the highest-paid female college athlete and one of the top five overall. In 2023, she started The Livvy Fund to help female LSU athletes learn how to brand themselves for NIL, which made her an even better leader.

At a meet in Utah in 2023, fans chanted her name, which upset her competitors and led to more security. She also caused a stir with a TikTok that promoted Caktus. AI for writing essays, which led to a university statement about academic honesty. Dunne’s content strategy, which mixes high-energy flips with personal insights, has earned her a Favikon Authority Score of 9,572, making her the #1 gymnastics influencer in the U.S.

Recent Milestones and Notable Achievements

U.S. Junior National Team member in 2017; First-Team All-America in 2024; key player in LSU’s 2024 NCAA Championship win.

Modeling and Media: She was in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, she was on the cover with Lauren Chan, Salma Hayek, and Jordan Chiles (shot in Portugal). The 2024 Amazon docuseries “The Money Game: LSU” starred her and she was nominated for a Sports Emmy.

Awards and Lists: Forbes 30 Under 30 (Sports, 2024); TIME100 Creators list (2025), which named her one of the 100 most influential digital voices.

Financial Success: As of 2025, their net worth is thought to be between $6 million and $9.5 million, thanks to NIL deals worth $3.9 million a year.

After retiring, Dunne has taken on new projects. She thought about her TIME award in July 2025 and how her teenage dream of getting verified on Instagram had turned into setting NIL standards. Recent X posts show her at the VMAs in stylish clothes and making funny FanaticsBook bets, like “I ate” after a win. In a viral video, she also shared throwback pictures of herself in a swimsuit and praised how good her boyfriend looked.

Life and the Future Ahead

Dunne is 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall and has a strong, athletic build. She is dating MLB pitcher Paul Skenes, and she often cheers him on and adds a “+ he’s handsome” to his highlight reels. She supports women’s sports and uses her platform to help causes like education and empowerment.

Dunne is looking into modeling, red carpet events, and advocacy after graduating from LSU in December 2024 (though some sources say May 2025). “I want to do everything,” she told USA Today in April 2025, stressing her support for gymnastics and female athletes. Her story is inspiring: Livvy Dunne went from being a kid in New Jersey chasing sparkles to a multimillionaire influencer. She shows that with talent, determination, and a smartphone, you can flip the mat or the world.