Current:Home > MarketsUntangling the Controversy Involving TikTokers Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett -WealthPro Academy
Untangling the Controversy Involving TikTokers Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett
View
Date:2025-04-14 03:14:14
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! (86)
Related
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- State police officers who fatally shot man were legally justified to use deadly force, report says
- Ex-funeral home owner pleads guilty to assaulting police and journalists during Capitol riot
- It's National Pasta Day: Find deals at Olive Garden, Carrabba's, Fazoli's and more
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Midwest chicken farmers struggle to feed flocks after sudden closure of processor
- 'Dune: Prophecy' cast, producers reveal how the HBO series expands on the films
- Officials searching for man after puppies left abandoned in milk crate outside PA police station
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Former porn shop worker wants defamation lawsuit by North Carolina lieutenant governor dismissed
Ranking
- Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby: Live updates
- To cast a Pennsylvania ballot, voters must be registered by Oct. 21
- State police officers who fatally shot man were legally justified to use deadly force, report says
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib accuses Kroger of using facial recognition for future surge pricing
- Jamaica's Kishane Thompson more motivated after thrilling 100m finish against Noah Lyles
- Louis Tomlinson Promises Liam Payne He’ll Be “the Uncle” Son Bear Needs After Singer’s Death
- Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Plan Struggles Amid Economic Worries, Study Says
- Florida digs out of mountains of sand swept in by back-to-back hurricanes
Recommendation
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
3 states renew their effort to reduce access to the abortion drug mifepristone
New Jersey internet gambling revenue set new record in Sept. at $208 million
A parent's guide to 'Smile 2': Is the R-rated movie suitable for tweens, teens?
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Cissy Houston mourned by Dionne Warwick, politicians and more at longtime church
Florida digs out of mountains of sand swept in by back-to-back hurricanes
Asian American evangelicals’ theology is conservative. But that doesn’t mean they vote that way