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On his podcast this week, former Miami Marlins president David Samson ripped the autograph seekers who hound celebrities after Olivia Dunne posted a teary TikTok video complaining about stalkers. Dunne complained that she is often chased down by a group of “at least 10 middle-aged men” demanding she sign their memorabilia when she is out in public.
“There’s a group of autograph seekers who are able to know private flight information,” Dunne said in a statement to NBC News. “I am not the only female athlete who experiences this. It’s scary because they simply don’t take no for an answer.”
In her TikTok video, Olivia Dunne said, “I fear that I’m being stalked, and I don’t know what to do. It’s got to the point that every single time I go to the airport, there’s a group of at least 10 middle-aged men waiting for me, and they harass me.
“It’s these men that want my autograph,” she went on. “They have a stack of 40 pictures of me or my magazines, and they will run after me down the TSA pre-check line and yell at me if I don’t give them my autograph. It’s insane. But they will yell at me and make a scene. And the people around me are scared. Like, it’s crazy.”
@livvy They know time, place, airport, everything!!! Stay safe
“It’s something with the airline, and it’s weird, and my parents are like, ‘What the f—?'” she continued. “And the worst part is, it’s not only me. I remember Gabby Thomas made a video about this, and it needs to stop because it’s scary for girls. It’s weird.
“And yes, I know I’m chronically online and I post my life, but I’m talking about like a 20-minute connecting flight through Omaha, Nebraska. They would be waiting there. And I’m not making content on a connecting flight. Like, I’m talking about the most random cities. It’s just so strange.”
The woman Livvy mentioned, Gabby Thomas, was among the many to comment on the video, writing, “Girl!! So sad that because we’re good at what we do people feel like they should have constant access to us and give us travel anxiety. Glad you’re speaking up too.”
Another comment on the issue, was the aforementioned David Samson, who pointed out on his podcast that “monetization has created a toxic environment.”
He added he doesn’t “want people to get on Livvy Dunne at all for what she did coming out against autograph-seekers.” He wants people “to have empathy and understand.”
Based on many of the comments on Livvy Dunne’s TikTok video, a lot of people don’t feel much empathy for her.
“This is called being a celebrity. All that money comes at a cost,” one person wrote.
“You seek attention, you get attention,” another commented.
“You signed up for this. This is internet fame,” someone else wrote.
“Why are u crying and acting like u can’t believe this?” read another comment. “Stop begging for attention or get off social media if [you] don’t like what comes with it.”