- Dunne says ‘it’s kind of a natural transition for me into performing and acting on camera’
- Dunne relates to Taylor Swift’s experience as the girlfriend of a professional athlete
- Dunne’s advice to LSU commit and U.S. all-around champ Hezly Rivera is ‘be true to herself’
Former collegiate gymnast turned actor Livvy Dunne is just like us.
Dunne ‘of course’ tuned into Taylor Swift’s record-breaking appearance on the ‘New Heights’ podcast alongside Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce on Aug. 13.
And Dunne can relate to Swift, in that the two of them have captured a lot of attention during their respective careers.
‘I can’t believe that I can even say I have something in common with Taylor’s Swift,’ Dunne told USA TODAY Sports ahead of the release of her Fanatics Sportsbook commercials. ‘We’re in a similar boat where we do have new eyes on us because of a new sports fan base.’
After finishing her eligibility at LSU last spring, Dunne is working on what’s next. A self-described sports ‘fanatic,’ she said she’ll ‘always be an athlete at heart.’ Whether she’s cheering on her Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher boyfriend Paul Skenes or keeping up with the U.S. national gymnastics team, Dunne isn’t too far removed from the game. And although she’s no longer showcasing her leaps and tumbling passes at LSU, she’s still performing.
‘To be able to be in the Rose Bowl, first of all is iconic, but it’s not every day you get to be in a bathtub on the 50-yard line shooting a commercial,’ Dunne said of her upcoming commercials with Fanatics Sportsbook. ‘I’ve always loved performing, whether it’s on the floor exercise or choreographing a routine. I feel like it’s kind of a natural transition for me into performing and acting on camera.’
USA TODAY Sports caught up with Dunne in a wide-ranging interview that touched her admiration for Taylor Swift, mentorship of budding Olympic gymnast Hezly Rivera and upcoming campaign with Fantatics.
Livvy Dunne relates to Taylor Swift: ‘I admire her’
Dunne was one of the 1.3 million viewers tuned into Swift’s highly-anticipated debut on ‘New Heights.’ Swift has brought a legion of fans to the NFL, but some sports fans have taken offense to how much attention the Grammy award-winning musician’s presence receives on the sidelines of Kansas City Chiefs games. Dunne said Swift’s experience ‘really resonated’ with her.
‘She’s a football fan and supporting her boyfriend that’s a professional athlete, and I’m supporting my boyfriend that’s a professional athlete,’ Dunne said. ‘That’s something we also have in common is the criticism that can come along with that. And I think she handles it with such grace.’
Being the partner of a professional athlete can be challenging. Dunne recently posted a social media video showing her various accounts being inundated with Skenes memes and GIFs. Despite the backlash, Dunne said it’s been ‘really cool to navigate through it and learn and be a big baseball fan,’ noting that she’ll take inspiration from Swift’s approach to football critics.
‘I admire (Swift) in so many different ways and how she handles the criticism with such grace and how she has her own success alongside her professional athlete partner,’ Dunne said.
Livvy Dunne hosted LSU gymnastics recruit Hezly Rivera
American gymnast Hezly Rivera — who won a gold medal with the U.S. women’s national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in addition to the all-around title at the 2025 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships — announced she’ll join LSU gymnastics after graduating high school in 2026. Dunne was competing with the Tigers when Rivera came to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for her official visit.
‘I actually was there on (Rivera’s) recruiting trip. I was still a gymnast at LSU and actually the gymnasts are a huge part of the recruiting trip,’ recalled Dunne. ‘That’s why I went to LSU to begin with because the team dynamic was just amazing. It was better than any other school I visited’
Dunne, 22, recalled training alongside Rivera, 17, in their home state of New Jersey when Rivera was 8 years old. Dunne said she remembered Rivera being a ‘phenomenal gymnast’ then, just as she is now.
‘My biggest advice to Hezly would just authentically be herself and that’s why LSU recruited her,’ Dunne said. ‘What makes LSU so special, yes, it is the fan base. Yes, it is the amazing competitive atmosphere being a student athlete there, but the diversity and how different every individual is on LSU’s team is so special. And that’s what made us win the 2024 national championship. I think that diversity and the adversity we went through as individuals. So I would say be true to herself.’
Fanatics rented out Rose Bowl for Livvy Dunne commercial
Livvy Dunne’s next act starts now.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin is ‘either all or nothing,’ Dunne said. That mindset carried over in the making of her commercials with Fanatics Sportsbook as the sports platform rented out the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to shoot three cinematic ads titled, “Explained by Livvy Dunne.’ One of the ads features Dunne sitting in a clawfoot bathtub on the 50-yard line, channeling Margot Robbie in the 2015 film ‘The Big Short.’ Another ad shows her snacking on a turkey leg in the stands.
‘I knew that this would be a perfect stepping stone into the onscreen acting career that I love and I want to pursue,’ Dunne added. ‘This was one of the first commercials and onscreen productions I’ve done that was that big and where I had to remember a script and honestly, it was so authentic… It was really just a match made in heaven. It was so creative and the production was so cinematic, and I’m so excited for everybody to see the commercial.’
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