Olivia Dunne has been the talk of the town for a while now. As the LSU gymnastics star continues dominating the mat—she’s owning the social media game, pro-level. With an impressive NIL valuation of $4.2 million, Livvy has secured her spot as the highest-paid female college athlete. But wait, things aren’t as simple as they always seem. 

The looming TikTok ban is another curveball that could hit Dunne’s brand hard. But, despite these hurdles, she’s still making power moves, especially with her latest collaboration with Jake Paul in their men’s personal care brand, W, referring to “Winning.”

In October 2024, Dunne became a co-owner of his men’s personal care brand, W, launched in June 2024, alongside MMA champ Sean O’Malley and hip-hop artist Rubi Rose. The brand deals with the sale of products like body wash and deodorant exclusively on Walmart and Walmart.com. Jake Paul’s idea behind bringing this brand was to boost confidence and provide high-quality products. And now that the student-athlete is actively involved with the brand, she recently took to Instagram to market and grow the brand.

However, you must be wondering why she chose to work with Jake Paul, though. Well, Olivia Dunne herself says it best: “I met Jake this past summer at Michael Rubin’s white party, and seeing how passionate he was in person really made me want to work with him.” And fast forward to now, Dunne has shared the pictures of their recent AD shoot on her Instagram story, stating, “ Squad 🆙️@jakepaul @itscalledw” and next thread with “get a free signed poster with any @itscalledw purchase💁‍♀️” with Walmart in the location. W has replied to their story as, “Don’t listen to us Listen to Livvy Dunne.” That sums up their recent AD shoutout!

Now, here’s the kicker—what’s the brand all about? The brand’s slogan, “Go for the win,” perfectly mirrors the power duo’s collaborative vibe. As they join forces to build the brand, they’re tackling this business world together. But things aren’t all smooth sailing, especially with TikTok hanging by a thread.

If you didn’t know, TikTok faces a major legal showdown with the U.S. government, and there’s a possibility it could be banned as soon as January 19 unless ByteDance sells its U.S. operations. For Olivia Dunne, whose massive TikTok following is essential to her brand deals, the news has been a total disaster. With competitors like Manning and Hunter surging past her NIL earnings, her future prospects on the platform feel pretty shaky right now. But hey, this is where the Jake Paul collaboration is going to be key.

Is TikTok’s shutdown about to derail Olivia Dunne’s NIL empire?

With the TikTok ban likely, Olivia Dunne’s been looking back at how much the app has been a game-changer for her. She posted a throwback video from almost 5 years back, 2020, with the caption, “These old drafts, plz #2020 #tiktokban #quarantine.” For Olivia Dunne, who’s made a name for herself, a big thanks goes to TikTok, so it’s no surprise she’s feeling a little nostalgic. But losing that platform? That’s a big deal. TikTok was the starting point for Olivia’s rise to stardom and the key to her NIL empire. Losing access to it would be a serious hit to her brand.

She’s built her entire online persona on TikTok, and with over 8 million of her 13.3 million followers coming from there, you can imagine how tough this might be. The TikTok ban could mean losing out on major brand deals and opportunities. 

Lawyer Noel Francisco’s Friday statement reflects that the ban is possible. He said, “On January 19th, as I understand it, we shut down. It is possible that come January 20th, 21st, or 22nd, we might be in a different world.” In order for the ban to come through, a lower court is required to uphold the ruling. And the sad part for the users of the platform is that the lower court has upheld the ruling. However, there are layers to the ban, as the user can still access it with certain alternatives. But the blow this will give to content creators like Olivia Dunne is real.

But hey, Olivia isn’t just sitting back. She’s still making moves. She recently teamed up with Jake Paul to co-own his personal care brand, W. Plus, she sent love to Jake’s girlfriend, Jutta Leerdam, on her recent European Championship win. Could this turn into something bigger? If their business relationship grows, it could open up even more doors for Olivia—TikTok or not.