Livvy Dunne Responds to Backlash Over Her ‘Awkward’ Kentucky Oaks Moment

• Olivia “Livvy” Dunne clapped back at critics who negatively reviewed her viral “Riders Up” call to start the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 2.

• The LSU gymnast’s announcement garnered backlash for seeming awkward, with users claiming she was reading her two-sentence script from cue cards instead of memorizing the brief lines.

• Dunne attended her first Kentucky Derby this year and also hosted Club SI at the event with Sports Illustrated.

Everyone hold your horses!

Livvy Dunne is clapping back at online chatter criticizing her viral “Riders Up” call to start the 2025 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 2, the day before the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

In the clip that circled social media, the LSU gymnast, 22, appeared to struggle through the two-sentence script, with commenters calling her out for “looking down” too much and being unable to memorize the brief lines.

“Kentucky Oaks fans. Now for the annual tradition we’ve all been looking forward to, Rider’s Up!” she said at the start of the event as if reading from a cue card or teleprompter.

Related: Livvy Dunne Trades In Her Leotard For Pretty Pink Ruffles at Kentucky Derby Event

Following the line, that was intended to get attendees hyped, the crowd was noticeably silent — except for one single “woohoo!” that echoed in the air. Users online, though, had a lot to say.

Dunne later responded to a critic on her TikTok as she shared a video showing off her ultra-femme, pink outfit that she wore for the big day. “I couldn’t hear myself because of the echo of the microphone 😭,” she responded in the comments.

“Why are people so mean to you?” wrote another user on her TikTok video, to which she simply replied, “Yes.”

Meanwhile, more negative reviews flooded the X clip of the video shared by NBC Sports.

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Announcement controversy aside, Dunne had quite a memorable Kentucky Derby experience for her first time attending.

The two-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover star also hosted Club SI at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Oaks earlier in the day. She rocked the same pink mini dress, featuring airy ruffles on both shoulder straps and stylish cutouts on the sides.

In true Kentucky Derby fashion, she topped off her look with an intricate and matching asymmetric disc headband fascinator.

Dunne’s appearance at the Kentucky Derby came shortly after she announced her retirement from gymnastics. The athlete announced the end of her collegiate career on April 17.

Related: Livvy Dunne Reveals Plans for Life After Gymnastics and How She’ll Be Spending It with Boyfriend Paul Skenes (Exclusive)

On April 21, the LSU student shared an emotional recap highlighting her decades of hard work in an Instagram video.

Earlier in the month, Dunne spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about her plans post-grad. She also shared what she was looking forward to the most when the sport she’s been committed to since she was a kid will finally be over.

“I’m going to be done with gymnastics, which is a crazy thing to say,” she said. “So I’m going to have more freedom. I’m going to have way more freedom. I’ve been a competitive gymnast since I was three years old.”

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