Current:Home > MyUntangling the Controversy Involving TikTokers Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett -WealthMindset
Untangling the Controversy Involving TikTokers Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett
View
Date:2025-04-13 05:31:46
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! (3163)
Related
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- What Is Pedro Pascal's Hottest TV Role? Let's Review
- I’m Obsessed With Colgate Wisp Travel Toothbrushes and They’re 46% Off on Amazon Prime Day 2023
- The Vampire Diaries' Kat Graham and Producer Darren Genet Break Up One Year After Engagement
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Proof Emily Blunt and Matt Damon's Kids Have the Most Precious Friendship
- These 25 Amazon Prime Day 2023 Deals Are Big Sellout Risks: Laneige, Yeti, Color Wow, Kindle, and More
- A 16-year-old died while working at a poultry plant in Mississippi
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- In-N-Out Burger bans employees in 5 states from wearing masks
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Twitter replaces its bird logo with an X as part of Elon Musk's plan for a super app
- Restoring Watersheds, and Hope, After New Mexico’s Record-Breaking Wildfires
- Make Your Life Easier With 25 Problem-Solving Products on Sale For Less Than $21 on Prime Day 2023
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Don’t Miss Hailey Bieber-Approved HexClad Cookware Deals During Amazon Prime Day 2023
- Chris Hemsworth Shares Rare Glimpse of Marvelous Family Vacation With His 3 Kids
- Three Midwestern States to Watch as They Navigate Equitable Rollout for EV Charging
Recommendation
Sam Taylor
Finally, a Climate Change Silver Lining: More Rainbows
A 3M Plant in Illinois Was The Country’s Worst Emitter of a Climate-Killing ‘Immortal’ Chemical in 2021
This Automatic, Cordless Wine Opener With 27,500+ 5-Star Reviews Is Only $21 for Amazon Prime Day 2023
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
A lesson in Barbie labor economics
Jenna Ortega's Historic 2023 Emmys Nomination Deserves Two Snaps
Wide Leg Pants From Avec Les Filles Are What Your Closet’s Been Missing