Olivia Dunne, Paul Skenes Have Extremely Awkward Moment On TV
Olivia Dunne and her boyfriend, MLB pitcher Paul Skenes, celebrated some big news on Monday evening.
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, was named the National League Rookie of the Year. The former LSU Tigers star, who helped lead the Baton Rouge program to a national championship, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP during his first Major League season. Dunne, the LSU Tigers gymnast and social media sensation, was sitting next to her boyfriend when he learned the big news on Monday evening.
But when Skenes and Dunne went in for a celebratory kiss, things got awkward.
Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes.
MLB Network.
After MLB legend Cal Ripken Jr. announced that Skenes had beaten out Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill, Brewers star Jackson Chourio and Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga to win the award, Dunne went in for a kiss. But Skenes appeared to be on a different wavelength than his girlfriend.
Things got a bit awkward.
Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes.
MLB/X
As Dunne and Skenes sat on a brown leather couch with a fireplace roaring in the background, they didn't have a picturesque Rookie of the Year celebratory kiss.
Instead, they had a pretty awkward moment on live television.
“Congratulations, babe,” Dunne said as the two embraced on the couch.
But as Dunne went in for a kiss, Skenes seemed to think that they were doing one on the cheek. They awkwardly had to reposition themselves, before doing an awkward hug and semi-kiss embrace.
Dunne, who has millions of followers across Instagram and TikTok, is no stranger to public moments. But her fans couldn't help but notice how awkward this moment was on Monday evening.
“But why is this such an awkward exchange? Lol,” one fan commented on her post.
Dunne admitted: “I was nervous like AHHHH."
Dunne and Skenes will likely have plenty more opportunities to celebrate big accomplishments in public moving forward. Skenes is expected to be one of the best pitchers in baseball for the next decade, contending for Cy Young awards and All-Star selections.
Hopefully, their next public embrace will be a little bit smoother than this one was on Monday evening.
