She believed her name and fame would open the door. Instead, the Upper West Side’s velvet rope stayed firmly in place. Olivia Dunne, a gymnast-turned-influencer and frequent tabloid fixture, attempted to buy Babe Ruth’s old apartment. And failed. The $1.59 million deal fell through, not because of price or paperwork. But due to a shocking reason revealed by one of her neighbors.

Dunne, a Louisiana State University gymnastics standout with an enormous social media following, announced on Instagram that she had secured a New York City apartment. The building’s co-op board, however, had other plans. Her celebratory video raised more eyebrows than glasses, especially among longtime residents who cherish their anonymity and the quiet tenor of life near Riverside Park. Some, familiar with the board’s deliberations, hinted that her online persona was simply too present, too bright, and too interested in visibility for a place that prefers the opposite.

It was not the first time a board has turned someone away for reasons that go unstated, but this one carried an unusually pointed critique. “She’s sparkly! She doesn’t belong here,” Monica Rosenberg joked, a six-year resident of the street. “Maybe she likes standing out, but eventually, if this is going to be her home, and she wants to be accepted by her neighbors and be accepted as part of the community, there’s nothing in it for her,” Rosenberg added. “She can walk her dog in Riverside Park five times a day, and then she’ll say this is very boring.”

Further, others echoed that sentiment more diplomatically. While they acknowledged Dunne’s success, they were unmoved by her résumé and wary of any disruption to the building’s established order. In an environment where discretion is currency, Dunne’s high-gloss brand struck the wrong note.

Despite the rejection, Olivia Dunne‘s interest in Babe Ruth’s former home spoke to more than just real estate ambition. The apartment, symbolic in its history and prestige, might have appeared a fitting purchase for someone navigating her own rise in public life. Yet the co-op board, which retains full discretion over applicants and does not have to offer explanations, chose silence over admission. That silence, however, was not shared by neighbors who offered their own interpretations with varying levels of candor.

Behind the scenes, efforts to increase transparency in co-op decisions have stalled. A proposed City Council bill would have required boards to disclose reasons for rejections, but the legislation never reached a vote. For now, buyers like Dunne are left to infer. Amidst this, fans also started speculating that it is not just Livvy Dunne, but her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, too, who was supposed to accompany her in the new residence. However, Dunne did not take long to clear the speculations.

Olivia Dunne sets the record straight on apartment plans and her bond with Paul Skenes

There is a difference between building a life with someone and simply living alongside them. Olivia Dunne, no longer bound to her gymnastics schedule, is navigating that distinction with a firm sense of independence, even as her relationship with Paul Skenes remains steady. In a recent recounting of her attempt to purchase a historic New York apartment, Dunne clarified a widely misinterpreted detail: the apartment was never intended as a shared residence. “No this was my apartment,” she stated plainly in response to a fan inquiry, putting to rest speculation about Skenes leaving Pittsburgh.

Dunne described the emotional and logistical commitment she had invested in the property, going so far as to enlist an interior designer to ensure she would not bring “college furniture to Babe Ruth’s apartment.” The plan unraveled when the co-op board unexpectedly denied her application just days before the scheduled handover. “The week that I’m supposed to get my keys… the co-op board denied me,” she recalled, noting that it had nothing to do with financing. The rejection, while disappointing, did not fracture her personal life. Instead, it underscored a mutual understanding she and Skenes have cultivated since going public with their relationship in 2023.

“I think that everything is a two-way road, so being fair,” Dunne told PEOPLE during a recent appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York City. She added, “We don’t restrict each other from doing things,” emphasizing the importance of individual space within a relationship. The couple’s ability to operate independently while maintaining shared support appears to have insulated them from the instability such professional transitions can introduce. The apartment fell through. The relationship did not.