Olivia Dunne Says She Doesn’t Attend Class in Person Over Safety Fears

Louisiana State University gymnast and influencer Olivia Dunne is one of the world's most recognizable college athletes, with 13 million followers across four social media platforms. So, it should come as no surprise she's not like other college students.

In a new Elle Magazine profile, the 20-year-old revealed she actually doesn't attend classes in person at LSU, where she's majoring in interdisciplinary studies, with a combination of three minors: communications, sociology, and leadership.

"There were some scares in the past," Dunne confided to the magazine, noting that she attends her classes virtually, for her own personal safety. "I just want to be as careful as possible. I don't want people to know my daily schedule and where I am."

Dunne has reason to be concerned.

This year, at LSU's first meet of the 2023 season at the University of Utah, an unruly mob of young male fans started chanting her name during the competition, disrupting other gymnast's performances.

Dunne was present to support her teammates but did not compete due to an injury.

Gymnasts also reported being harassed by the crowd — estimated to be between 100 and 200 male fans — as they demanded to see the blonde athlete.

According to the Elle profile, one of the women competing that day was told she wasn't Olivia but "she will do."

"It was our first meet of the season," Dunne recalled. "I knew that my success had grown from the years prior, but I did not expect there to be that many people out there to see me and my team."

After the meet, videos of the chanting mob started popping up on Twitter.

"I didn't really realize until after the meet when I saw the videos of it," she said. "I was like, 'Holy moly.'"

Dunne took to Twitter afterward, and asked her fans to be "respectful," reminding them that she and the other gymnasts are "just doing our job."

Dunne, a senior at LSU, is believed to earn over $3.3 million in name, image and licensing (NIL) deals, which had been prohibited prior to a 2021 Supreme Court ruling. She once took home $500,000 for a single sponsored social media post.