Pirates' Paul Skenes Addresses GQ Magazine Feature
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes normally appears on a pitchers mound for the world to see, but he recently partook in a different adventure.
Skenes and girlfriend Livvy Dunne appeared in a feature in GQ Magazine for a feature titled, "Why the Algorithm Loves Gen Z’s ‘It Couple’ Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes" by Sam Schube.
The piece focused on the young rising baseball star and his girlfriend, who is a gymnast at LSU and is one of the most popular athletes in the NCAA.
It features photographs of them in designer clothing, taking pictures together in different outfits and also solo ones as well, at their house in Baton Rouge, La.
Schube explored the relationship between the two, how they rose to fame, why they both have excelled in their fields and what makes their relationship so strong.
Skenes spoke after his second start of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays, a 4-2 victory at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. about the interview and what he enjoyed about it.
“Yeah, jeez. Yeah, I don’t know, I’m going to get some flack in the locker room, not looking forward to that," Skenes said. "Yeah I didn’t know what GQ was until the offer came. Glad I did it. How’d I look, what do you guys think?"
“It was fun, it was very fun. The one day in a million years that it snowed in Baton Rouge, so it kind of worked out perfectly. We got some sweet pictures, but that is not my sphere. We’ll see if I do more of those, but it was a fun day.”
Paul Skenes on his GQ photoshoot:
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 2, 2025
"Um, yeah, I don’t know… I didn’t know what GQ was until the offer came, [but] glad I did it. I mean, how’d I look?!" 😅 pic.twitter.com/FR2gPP4ieH
Skenes and Dunne started dating back at LSU and the two have been inseparable ever since.
Dunne is also the most followed NCAA athlete on social media, including 5.3 million followers on Instagram and eight million followers on Tik Tok. She is in her fifth season with LSU gymnastics, where she helped them win their first National Title in the 2023-24 season, as well as setting a career-high of 9.900 on floor twice. She also spent time o the U.S. National Team back in 2017.
Dunne has also played a role in LSU having another great year in 2025, as they are 18-2 overall and won their third SEC Regular Season Title, sharing it with Oklahoma, as well as their sixth/back-to-back SEC Tournament Title.
She will head to the NCAA Regionals at University Park, Pa., with Penn State hosting, just a two-and-half-hour drive away from Skenes in Pittsburgh.
LSU will compete amongst No. 16 Arkansas, Michigan, Maryland and West Virginia in the Second Round on April 3 and then the top two teams will face off in the Regional Final on April 5.
Skenes starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, gave up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while notching 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks, leading the program to a national title that season.
He would enter the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick. He also signed with the franchise on a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a player at the time.
Skenes dominated in the minor leagues and soon made it up to the majors on May 11 of the 2024 season.
He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while recording 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
He was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers last doing so before him in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Skenes also made the All-MLB First Team for his performance in 2024, won NL Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award.
He had a solid outing on Opening Day against the Miami Marlins on March 27, with seven strikeouts while allowing just three hits and two walks for two earned runs over 94 pitches in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.