Olivia Dunne Rejects Baby Gronk as 8.1 Million Setback Becomes Reality

Olivia Dunne is not only known for her skills on the mat but also for her social media antics. Indeed, she keeps her audience updated through her various handles on different kinds of platforms, the major one being TikTok. However, the gymnast faced a setback when the United States banned TikTok due to policy complications.

The ban was surely harsh on Dunne, as she lost around 8.1 million followers on the social media platform. Now, that’s a lot for an influencer like the LSU gymnast. However, as always, to bid a fond farewell to TikTok, she teamed up with another popular influencer, Baby Gronk, and they both paid a hilarious tribute to the social media platform.

Sending a message in the Olivia Dunne way

“Tragic. #skibiditoilet,” Olivia Dunne wrote in the caption of her Instagram post. You can already see how deeply she is grieving over the TikTok ban. But what was the video about? Teaming up with Baby Gronk, she created a final tribute for the social media platform, where she had around 8.1 million followers. Even with around 5.3 million followers on Instagram, she values her bond with TikTok above any other social media platform.

Indeed, in the video, Baby Gronk asks the NCAA champion, “Livvy, can we make a TikTok?” to which Dunne responds, stating, “Baby, there’s no TikTok,” in a humorously crying tone. Watching the gymnast’s reaction, the social media influencer also replicated the tone of the video. Both of them have lost a ton of followers owing to this ban, as they had an organic audience that they had built from scratch, and it was something they were proud of.

Dunne has always been more than a gymnast. Indeed, on many occasions, she has revealed her plans. Although she excels on the mat as a gymnast, she is not particularly concerned about pursuing professional gymnastics, preferring to focus on her role as a social media influencer or model. The community has frequently witnessed her participation in various brand deals and magazine photoshoots, which have elevated her beyond her status as a gymnast.

Dunne’s influence enabled her to secure numerous NIL deals, propelling her to the fifth position in the NIL valuation standings, with a value of $4.2 million. And her TikTok videos did make her a lot of money, as with every video she posted, she used to earn between $12,000 and $19,000. While this may sound like normal income for an influencer like Dunne, money is money. Indeed, college athletes like her benefit a lot from these deals, and anything can contribute to their budding careers. The LSU gymnast was aware of this TikTok ban for a long time. And she made a few last videos before the platform was banned. But one of them is a bit controversial.

Making a controversial TikTok before it all ended

Olivia Dunne is currently busy with the 2024-25 NCAA gymnastics season. But she tried to get some time to make new posts. This also happened during the Sprouts Farmers Collegiate Quad meet. She secured 9.725 on the bar, finishing third. But she also made a new video. After all, she was aware that the platform was going to get banned in a few days. Dunne decided to do a viral “Kiss, Marry, Kill” challenge on social media, but the amusing video turned political real quick.

When the TikTok video started, it featured celebrities such as LeBron James, Serena Williams, Shane Gillis, Lizzo, Dr. Phil, and even herself. However, to everyone’s surprise, it also featured Donald Trump. And to everyone’s surprise, she immediately turned her head to the “kill” category. Dunne abruptly ended her TikTok right there. This was seen as hilarious by many. There haven’t been many days when the LSU gymnast has been controversial, but she always managed to inject a touch of humor.