When Olivia Dunne and her boyfriend Paul Skenes started dating, they instantly became an internet power couple, which led to the pair being the subject of rumors. Originally, the TikTok star and MLB pitcher tried to hide their relationship, but fans were able to piece together clues that the two were an item. “But we try to keep things private,” Dunne told People in November 2023 after they had taken their romance public. Even though they wanted to stay relatively low-key, fans thought there were signs that Dunne was possibly interested in other internet stars.
In March 2024, Dunne posted a TikTok with Savannah Bananas player and social media star Jackson Olson. In the clip, the pair danced on a baseball diamond, and many fans took this as a sign that Dunne had taken an interest in a baseball player besides Skenes. “Paul Skenes is p**sed,” one fan wrote. Others called for Skenes to face off against Olson on the diamond to earn Dunne’s love. The gymnast fired back at curious fans. “I’m just making content with the @thesavbananas relax,” she responded.
A few days earlier, Olson had posted a collaborative TikTok with Dunne, and fans speculated about the video’s hidden meaning. “Paul [S]kenes punching the air rn,” one TikTok user commented. There was similar speculation when Olson uploaded the video to Instagram. “Damn bro there’s more dudes in her vids than her own boyfriend being in it,” one person replied. It appeared fame had affected Dunne and Skenes’ relationship as fans bombarded them with their opinions.
Paul Skenes took heat from Olivia Dunne fans. When Paul Skenes officially took his relationship with Olivia Dunne public during an interview in August 2023, the pitcher mentioned the difficulty of navigating social media, much to the ire of her fans. “I wasn’t on it during the season because it’s toxic. There’s no substance to it. It can’t help,” he told the Pittsburgh Gazette-Post. The month following that interview, Skenes uploaded a snap to Instagram of him and Dunne taking in a Louisiana State University football game. The toxicity he had referenced was in full effect. “Most hated man on earth,” an Instagram user commented on the photo of Skenes cozying up with his girlfriend.
The vitriol continued later in the year when Skenes uploaded a three-photo carousel of him and Dunne visiting New York City around Christmastime 2023. “Sleep with one eye open pal,” one follower wrote. Once again, the refrain that Dunne was ashamed of her MLB boyfriend came to light. “She doesn’t post your pics big man,” another fan insisted. Even when Skenes posted a seemingly innocuous photo of himself (sans Dunne) to Instagram in June 2024, fans dragged his girlfriend into the conversation.
Dunne seemingly quelled any speculation about the strength of their relationship when she uploaded three snaps to Instagram of the pair snuggling with each other on a boat ride in Pittsburgh. Even the Dunne-stans admitted that the couple looked happy. “Paul is going to pitch extra good the next game,” one follower joked. Previously, Dunne had spoken about how it felt watching Skenes play.
Olivia Dunne gushes over Paul Skenes. Olivia Dunne was on hand to watch Paul Skenes make his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11. MLB cameras caught up with the gymnast after the game. “I just know what a hard worker he is, so this is probably one of the favorite moments I’ve ever seen,” Dunne gushed. “Seriously, there’s nothing that can top this. I’m so proud,” she added. Afterward, Dunne continued to cherish the moment by uploading photos to Instagram of the couple embracing on the field after Skenes’s debut. Multiple fans tried to make the moment awkward by asking about Dunne’s relationship status with fellow social media star Baby Gronk.
Uncomfortable comments about Dunne and Skenes’ relationship status were not limited to online chatter. During a Detroit Tigers broadcast on May 24, the Bally Sports Detroit crew mentioned Dunne. “What’s going on there man? Are you looking up Livvy Dunne?” Bally’s reporter Trevor Thompson asked fellow reporter Johnny Kane when he checked his phone while on-air. “You’re gonna follow her on all the socials, Johnny?” Thompson joked.
The following week, Dunne blocked out the noise and continued to show pride for her boyfriend. She gave Skenes a birthday shoutout on her Instagram Stories on May 29. “[N]othin like some B-Day K’s,” she wrote while adding a birthday cake emoji alongside a pic of Skenes striking out a batter (via the New York Post). It appeared the initial uneasiness about Dunne not posting her boyfriend enough on Instagram had been put to rest.
Paul Skenes is having a memorable month both on and off the field. The Pirates’ No. 1 pick in the MLB draft in July and the recently-confirmed boyfriend of Olivia Dunne, LSU’s viral sensation, Skenes was promoted to Pittsburgh’s Double-A affiliate Altoona on Monday, the team announced.
Skenes, 21, a fireballing right-hander, confirmed he was dating Dunne, 20, in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last Friday. The pitcher, who attended LSU and was a vital part of the school’s national championship team in June, said he met Dunne through his best friend, who is dating Elena Marenas, Dunne’s roommate and gymnastics teammate at the school. “Just a small-world type of thing,” Skenes said about his newly-revealed relationship.
Paul Skenes was promoted to Double-A on Monday. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con. Olivia Dunne and Skenes met at LSU. Olivia Dunne / Instagram. Skenes wowed fans — and clearly the Pirates brass — with his Single-A debut, in which Dunne, who was also in attendance, watched the 6-foot-6 righty throw one inning and strike out two while topping out at 100 mph.
In three outings across Single-A and the complex league, Skenes has tossed four scoreless innings with five punchouts, allowing only one hit and no walks. The Pirates are limiting Skenes’ workload this season because of his hefty innings total with LSU last season, in which he threw 122 2/3 innings, averaging a staggering 103 pitches over his last 19 outings.
Dunne supported Skenes at the NCAA championship earlier this summer. Olivia Dunne / Instagram. “I think as we’ve gone through the year, we knew there was going to be a progression to where he was going to go, and we’re just taking another step in the progression,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Having just watched the starts on video, he’s done a really nice job and been very impressive, so we’ll continue to progress him as our baseball ops group feels is appropriate.”
Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said the innings limit is part of a larger plan with the prized right-hander. Skenes’ workload will be limited this season. AP. “We think it’s helped him be fully engaged in the work between starts and have a more normal pitcher experience even if we’re being conservative with the volume, then help him get into a normal offseason to prepare to be a starting pitcher in 2024, wherever that begins.”
Source: People, Pittsburgh Gazette-Post, New York Post
