Olivia Dunne Joins Cast of ‘Baywatch’ Reboot in Recurring Role

The 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue cover model will make her acting debut on the Fox series.

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. | Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Olivia Dunne will make her scripted television debut later this year, as the model and content creator has officially joined the cast of Fox’s forthcoming Baywatch reboot.

Deadline broke the news on Thursday, March 12, in a joint Instagram post along with the official Fox network and Baywatch accounts. According to the social media post, along with the entertainment outlet’s reporting, Dunne “has been tapped for the recurring role of Grace, a highly enthusiastic junior lifeguard.”

While the 23-year-old New Jersey native is known for her decorated gymnastics career at LSU and her status as a content creator, Baywatch will mark Dunne’s first acting gig.

“Time to get to work!!! 🎬,” the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue cover model wrote on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday following the announcement.

Meanwhile, tons of fans, friends and fellow SI Swimsuit models chimed into the comments section of Deadline’s social media post to cheer on Dunne.

“LETS GOOOOO,” five-time magazine star Katie Austin declared.

“@livvydunne 😍😍,” Olympic medalist Eileen Gu wrote.

“👏👏🔥🔥welcome to the fam @livvydunne!!” the official Baywatch account applauded.

“Heck yeah!! Love to see a newcomer 👏,” another user added.

“1st Brooks Nader, then Shay Mitchell & now Livvy Dunne. Oh man its gonna be lit 🔥🔥🔥🔥,” one person noted.

On Monday, March 9, Nader, an SI Swimsuit legend, was announced as a series regular on the forthcoming reboot. Per Deadline, she will reprise Selene, “the sharp-tongued Captain of the Zuma Beach lifeguards.” Mitchell, of Pretty Little Liars fame, was also announced as a series regular this week.

Read more about Nader’s casting here.

Foreshadowing Dunne’s acting debut

In January, the three-time SI Swimsuit model kicked off 2026 with a recap of her prior year for her YouTube followers, and her look back at 2025 also included a little tease at what was to come in the year ahead.

“I’ve been catching up on some reading. As in reading, I mean scripts,” Dunne stated. “I’ve been getting a lot of auditions. I’ve been playing someone that’s not myself. It’s different because I’ve always played Olivia Dunne ... I really get into character, and it’s been super fun doing these auditions."

And last month, during Super Bowl weekend, Dunne spoke with Sports Illustrated at a red carpet event and let fans in on a little secret: “I’ve been taking acting lessons,” she revealed.

Clearly, Dunne’s preparation and dedication paid off! Not only that, but it seems that she has been manifesting her Baywatch casting in particular since last fall.

Fans might recall that Dunne’s Halloween costume last October paid homage to Pamela Anderson’s Baywatch character, C.J. Parker. She wore a red swimsuit and a matching jacket and hot shorts for the occasion, while her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, dressed as Borat for the holiday.

Per Deadline, Baywatch’s 12-episode series is expected to premiere in 2026 will begin production this spring on Venice Beach and on the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles. We can’t wait to tune in!

---