The fascinating relationship between sports stars Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes

Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes are making a name for themselves in two very different ways. As they’ve risen to prominence in their respective sports, they’ve had each other to lean on in a romantic relationship. We’ll take a closer look at the dynamic between the social media savvy prominent gymnast and the electric pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes met when they were both athletes at LSU. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the pair was introduced when Skenes’ friend was dating Dunne’s roommate. “Just a small-world type of thing,” Skenes told the outlet.

It’s not clearly known exactly what point in time Skenes and Dunne became an item, but the MLB pitcher verified that he was seeing the LSU star gymnast in August 2023.

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It’s entirely possible that Dunne may have been more popular than her boyfriend heading into 2024, but the gap may have closed significantly. Skenes has had a historic start to his MLB career with the Pirates.

It can take years for even the most talented MLB draft picks to work their way up to the majors. Skenes defied the traditional path by making his MLB debut (May 2024) less than a year after he was drafted. The Pirates have no regrets about bringing him up as quickly as they did.

Dunne was at Skenes’ MLB debut, and told MLB’s website, “I had some nerves creeping in at first, but I kind of channeled that into excitement more than nerves. I just have the most confidence in him ever, so I trust him and what he’s put in, and I’m just so excited.”

As if the month wasn’t momentous enough for Skenes, he delivered a signature performance on his 22^nd birthday on May 29. He struck out nine Detroit Tigers in six innings, prompting Dunne to post on her Instagram story, “nothin like some B-Day K’s.”

Dunne told USA Today, “I’m gonna admit it. I’m a crazy baseball girlfriend. I never thought I’d watch this much baseball in my life, but I’ve tuned into every game. I try to go to as many as possible. Just to watch him do his thing is inspiring.”

Skenes was tabbed as the National League’s All-Star starting pitching in July 2024, which is a huge accomplishment for someone who has only been in MLB for a couple of months. He put up incredible numbers in the first half of the season, pitching to a 6-0 record and a sparkling 1.90 ERA according to baseball reference.

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Livvy Dunne has made a name for herself due in large part to the notion that she embraces the idea of having her fans follow the ins and outs of her life. She agreed to a unique name, image and likeness deal with Passes, a platform that will allow her to share exclusive content with her fans.

It has seemed like Dunne’s popularity has bothered Skenes from time to time when it comes to them being able to share private moments together. He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it “does irk me” when Dunne went to minor league baseball games Skenes was pitching in and she was constantly asked for things.

“It can be a pain in the butt sometimes, to be honest, in terms of actually going somewhere,” he told the Post-Gazette. “If one of us went out in Baton Rouge (where LSU is) by ourselves, there’s probably going to be someone there asking for something; picture, autograph, whatever.”

Skenes seems to have the opposite approach of Dunne when it comes to social media. “I wasn’t on it during the season because it’s toxic,” he told the Post Gazette. “When you see something positive about you or something negative, it doesn’t matter. There’s no substance to it. It can’t help.”

ESPN reported in July 2024 that Dunne would be returning to LSU for her fifth gymnastics season. Some wondered whether she would return to school considering the NIL money she has already earned. Bleacher Report believes that she has nearly a $4 million valuation given the myriad of sponsors she has.

Many believe that Skenes is less than thrilled to be featured in Dunne’s TikTok videos, which make him come off as a serious individual. Dunne has thrown cold water on this notion. She told USA Today, “A lot of people think he’s very serious. He’s really not,” she said, laughing.

Dunne told the New York Post “my brain can’t even process how hard he throws. It’s incredible and it’s such a joy to watch. He’s a great baseball player, but an even better person.”

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