Olivia Dunne drags Travis Kelce’s fiancée Taylor Swift to defend her love for "queen-bee" like attention in spotlight

Olivia Dunne is proudly enjoying the spotlight, and she even mentioned Travis Kelce’s fiancée Taylor Swift to explain why. As the new cover star of Maxim’s Winter 2025–26 issue, the former LSU gymnast said she is not shy about liking fame.

“I love the red carpet," Dunne told Maxim. I love the glitz and glam of it. There’s no denying that."

Dunne added:

"You don’t really think a Taylor Swift that’s in the spotlight doesn’t actually enjoy it? She does.”

To defend her point elaborately, Dunne compared her summer to what other influencers were doing. She joked that many were at “film festivals in the South of France,” while she was at the College World Series with a Miller Lite.

“Not waiting for the camera to pan to me,” Dunne said, explaining that being honest about liking fame is part of who she is.

Her Maxim cover is a big moment in her life after retiring from gymnastics.

Dunne said she is now “a former athlete, and honestly, right now: model,” and shared that she is taking acting lessons, reading scripts and exploring her love for old-school rom-coms like Notting Hill.

Her NIL success helped her build this new career.

After the NCAA changed the rules in 2021, Dunne became one of the first athletes to take full advantage, landing deals with Crocs, Nautica, Vuori, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and Passes.

Her NIL value is now estimated at $4.1 million.

Dunne once hoped to be an Olympian, but in 2018 she was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans, a condition that affects blood flow under cartilage.

Dunne is also dating Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, whom she met at LSU.

Olivia Dunne's statement about loving being "queen bee," as described by Maxim's John Ortved, comes two years after Travis Kelce’s fiancée Taylor Swift publicly talked about how her relationship with fame has changed.

“I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years,” Swift told Time in 2023.

She said that at 33, she finally felt strong enough to handle all of it, calling it “the breakthrough moment of my career.”

In 2014, Swift said she struggled with how fame affected her everyday life. She told Esquire that she avoided having security for a long time because she loved “normalcy,” but simple things like driving alone became impossible. Swift said that on days she didn’t feel ready to talk to anyone, “I just don’t go out.”

Now, Travis Kelce’s fiancée fully embraces attention.

Her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl" and her massive Eras Tour with more than 150 shows, $2 billion in revenue and a $250 million concert film, show how comfortable she is in the spotlight.

---

Travis Kelce’s fiancée Taylor Swift's close friend Brittany Mahomes loses it as Olivia Dunne lands Maxim cover

Brittany Mahomes got excited in Olivia Dunne’s Instagram comments on Sunday after the LSU star announced she’s the new face of Maxim’s winter cover.

Dunne posted “Winter cover girl Maxim Magazine. 🤍❄️" on Monday along with her cover photo.

“So good🔥🔥🔥,” Brittany commented.

Dunne wrote back:

“Thx Queen :)🫶🏼.”

Source: (Via Instagram/ @livvydunne)

Dunne's photoshoot was done by famous photographer Gilles Bensimon.

Travis Kelce’s fiancée Taylor Swift has become close to Brittany Mahomes. Brittany's friendship with Swift started when the singer began coming to Kansas City Chiefs games during her relationship with Travis Kelce in 2023.