After NCAA Win, Olivia Dunne on Verge of 8 Million Followers Loss Reacts to TikTok Ban: “Didn’t Quite Know”

The LSU Tigers’ gymnastics team has finally achieved the unthinkable. At the recently concluded 2024 NCAA Championships, the Power Girls posted a total score of 198.225 to move past California, Utah, and Florida. Makes sense why they were the top seeds. But after claiming the title, Olivia Dunne was the first one to place her hands on the glamorous trophy. Though she didn’t compete, her contribution as a gymnast and social media star played well for her team.

Reeling in likes and cash, the 21-year-old sensation has amassed millions of followers over the past few years. She is equally active on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat but was not previously mindful of the queendom she could build. In a recent interview, she shed some light on this to the Today Show hosts.

Olivia Dunne paid less heed to social media previously

In an exclusive Today interview, the 21-year-old sat over a video call to connect with the show hosts. One of them asked, “How important is it using that platform to put a spotlight on your team’s work?”. As an add-on, he also asked Livvy’s views on what’s to be done if TikTok goes off completely. Boasting 8 million followers, Dunne risked it, saying, “If I’m being honest, I didn’t quite know that TikTok was going to get banned. I’ve just been training everyday in the gym and working on my gymnastics and doing what I love”. 

The highest-paid NCAA gymnast and the NIL earner wasn’t aware of the fact that TikTok would be brought down. Despite being America’s crush, Livvy didn’t hesitate to put her sport above TikTok. She conceded her sentence by saying, “I haven’t really thought about it too much”. As she ends her successful LSU career, is she planning a comeback then?

Where does she want to see herself in gymnastics?

When she’s competing for her team or cheering them on amid the NCAA season, she’s hardly thinking about the social world. Her prime focus is gymnastics and she said in the interview, “It definitely makes me want to come back, but I haven’t quite thought about it completely. I’ve been focused on the now and winning this national title, so I’ll definitely start thinking about it.” 

But quite naturally, she aligns both her professions. This was evident when in February, one of her TikTok posts took her fans through her LSU journey, which was nothing short of a heartwarming ride. Though her fans wish for her gymnastic comeback, they always want to get the best of her on social media.