Former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne has become a household name thanks to her explosive star power on social media. And now Fox is hoping that it will transition to television.
According to Deadline, Dunne will have a recurring role in the series as Grace, a “highly enthusiastic junior life guard.” Just earlier this week, she had revealed that she had taken up acting lessons after retiring from gymnastics last year. The role in Baywatch is her first major chance in the industry.
Livvy Dunne has built a huge online following, counting almost 8 million followers on TikTok and another 5 million followers on Instagram. She was an accomplished gymnast at LSU, winning a national team championship with the Tigers. She has also become a celebrity in baseball circles as the significant other of phenom Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes.
The Baywatch reboot will hit Fox television screens as part of the 2026-2027 television series. The original series was a cultural phenomenon of the 1990s featuring David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, and countless others. An attempt at a reboot on the silver screen has already been tried. While it turned a sizable profit at the box office, the movie starring Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron was almost universally panned by critics as it scored an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Of course, nobody is going to confuse the original television series of Baywatch with Better Call Saul or The Sopranos. And it’s probably just fine with Fox if this reboot doesn’t win any Emmys. But with the hiring of Livvy Dunne and perhaps other celebrities and influencers to come, the hope is that it will get plenty of attention in the ratings and on social media.
About Matt Yoder