Current:Home > ContactUntangling the Controversy Involving TikTokers Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett -WealthSpot
Untangling the Controversy Involving TikTokers Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett
View
Date:2025-04-22 13:45:18
This was probably not the way Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett imagined starting off their marriage.
The influencer duo—who have almost 700,000 followers on their joint TikTok account—went from newlywed bliss to issuing an apology video during their honeymoon all in a span of days after Lunden's past racist tweets resurfaced.
The saga all started on Sept. 30, when the 26-year-olds tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Naylor Hall in Roswell, Ga., with many fans referring to the black-tie nuptials as the "royal wedding of lesbian TikTok."
"We like romanticizing the moment that we're in," Lunden gushed to People in a profile gushed on Oct. 1, adding that she and Olivia felt their wedding was "so much bigger than us" as figures in the LGBTQ+ community. "And I think that by showing two feminine women in a relationship in the south, I think that it breaks a barrier."
However, just as Lunden and Olivia began filling their social media accounts with photos and videos from their picture-perfect wedding, screenshots of what apeared to be old tweets containing racial slurs made from Lunden's X (formerly known as Twitter) account surfaced on Reddit. The racially insensitive posts, the screenshots of which have since been deleted, seemed to date back as early as the 2010s.
Amid backlash, the TikTokers made a 10-minute apology video on their TikTok Stories, with Lunden saying that she was "completely and utterly disgusted and ashamed" by her past behavior.
"I don't want people to think that I am just sweeping this under the rug or that it's something I'm not going to address or don't want to address because I do want to address it," she continued. "That's not who I am."
Calling Lunden's controversial tweets an "unfortunate and ignorant mistake," Olivia told her new wife, "It's so disappointing to see that those things were written, and written by somebody that I love, but I also know to my heart and core that's not who you are. I would've never married her if that's who she was today."
Lunden added, "I just want everyone to know, even the ones that don't know, that I am sorry."
But their mea culpa didn't quell the online criticism, with some taking issue with the fact that Lunden and Olivia's video was made on Stories, where posts expire 24 hours after its creation. Others called out the couple for getting married at a wedding venue with ties to a plantation owner. (Naylor Hall's website said the property was built during the 1840s by Barrington King—the son of Roswell King, a cotton mill owner who controlled several plantations that were operated by slave labor, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.)
As of Oct. 6, Lunden and Olivia have not publicly addressed backlash over their apology video.
E! News has reached out to their rep for comment but hasn't heard back.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (85649)
Related
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Men’s March Madness highlights: NC State, Purdue return to Final Four after long waits
- WWE Star Gabbi Tuft Lost All Will to Live—But Coming Out as Transgender Changed Everything
- Americans star on an Iraqi basketball team. Its owners include forces that attacked US troops
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- California set to hike wages for fast-food workers to industry-leading $20 per hour
- What U.S. consumers should know about the health supplement linked to 5 deaths in Japan
- Alex Murdaugh faces a South Carolina judge for punishment a final time
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- These extreme Easter egg hunts include drones, helicopters and falling eggs
Ranking
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- 11-year-old shot in head in St. Paul; 2 people arrested, including 13-year-old
- The Black Crowes soar again with Happiness Bastards, the group's first album in 15 years
- It's the dumbest of NFL draft criticism. And it proves Caleb Williams' potential.
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Denny Hamlin wins NASCAR Cup Series' Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond after late caution flag
- Missing 4-year-old's body found, mother Janet Garcia arrested in connection to his murder
- Robert Randolph talks performing on new Beyoncé album, Cowboy Carter
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
LSU's X-factors vs. Iowa in women's Elite Eight: Rebounding, keeping Reese on the floor
Riley Strain's Tragic Death: Every Twist in the Search for Answers
Majority of U.S. bridges lack impact protection. After the Key Bridge collapse, will anything change?
Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
Sawfish in Florida are 'spinning, whirling' before they die. Researchers look for answers.
Small plane crash kills 2 people in California near Nevada line, police say
Full hotels, emergency plans: Cities along eclipse path brace for chaos