ROSWELL, GEORGIA: Lunden Stallings, a popular 26-year-old TikTok influencer, was compelled to pause her honeymoon with her new wife, Olivia Bennett, in order to issue an apology after her racist tweets from over a decade ago resurfaced online.
Stallings and Bennett, who were much-loved on social media for representing the lesbian community in the US South and have over 700,000 followers on TikTok, tied the knot just days before Stallings' racist tweets came to light, per Daily Mail.
Fans of the pair had reportedly been waiting for their marriage for several months, eager to celebrate Stallings and Bennett's nuptials.
However, their picturesque wedding was overshadowed by the controversy and Stallings had to share an apology while appearing on camera alongside her wife.
What is known about Olivia Bennett?
Similar to Stallings, Bennett is also a social media influencer and has more than 68K followers on her TikTok page @oliviamccollumben.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Bennett works as a family specialist for Georgia HOPE in Roswell, Georgia.
She studied at Jacksonville State University from 2015 to 2019 and earned a Bachelor's degree in social work.
Bennett also attended the University of Alabama from 2020 to 2021 and received a Master's degree, which is also in social work.
She also shares a LikeToKnowIt (LTK) account with Stallings, @oliviaandlunden as well as an Amazon Page, the US Sun reported.
Bennett, alongside her now-wife, Stallings, garnered immense popularity on TikTok for their "day in the life," "outfit of the day," and wedding planning videos.
As per People, Bennett met Stallings in the summer of 2020 while looking for a golden retriever and asking the latter where she got her dog, Willow.
Nearly a year later, Stallings moved to Atlanta, where Bennett was living, after getting a promotion. The duo reportedly met for Mexican food and bonded quickly.
"We talked all night long," Bennett told People while Stallings added, "We haven’t spent a day apart since."
Bennett and Stallings' bond deepened when they both accidentally planned surprise proposals at the same time while chartering a private boat in Charleston in May of 2022.
"We fell over laughing… things in our relationship just truly fall into place," Bennett told the publication about the joint engagement.
What did Lunden Stallings say in her apology?
A series of tweets from 2012 to 2014 showed Stallings allegedly used the n-word dozens of times in her everyday tweets as well as in song lyrics, the Daily Mail reported.
One of the tweets said, "[N-word] all about my business," while another read, "I'm about to clown [n-word]'s that snap chat me."
"[N-word]s go behind ya back like nun chucks," Stallings wrote in another tweet. Several social media users called out Stallings for her past behavior, prompting her to issue an apology.
"There's been some tweets of mine that I learned about yesterday, back 10 to 12 years ago, that had resurfaced," the influencer said in a video posted on her TikTok story.
"That's not who I am, who I was as a teenager," she said.
"I just want to acknowledge and recognize that I am completely and utterly disgusted and ashamed and honestly embarrassed at how normal it was for me to speak that way on Twitter and for my friends and I to address each other that way or for me to sing along in rap songs," Stallings mentioned.
"That's nobody else's fault but mine," she admitted, adding, "I wholeheartedly take responsibility for this. I am sorry."
Stallings' new wife, Bennett, was also seen sitting in the background video. "You were a kid and you were ignorant, it was shameful and wrong," the latter said.
"It's not a reflection of your character," Bennett assured.
Stallings' Instagram posts from 2020 reportedly showed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement, where she wrote a heartfelt Instagram caption mentioning she would "never stop fighting for you [black people.]"
When did Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett get married?
Stallings and Bennett tied the knot on Saturday, September 30, 2023, in front of 150 friends and family members at the historic Naylor Hall in Roswell, Georgia.
"We’re both so excited, as two women, to experience each other’s 'big bridal moment,'" Bennett told People.
"I know that it's hard to take in a moment, but I do feel like the one thing that Olivia and I are good at is being still," Stallings added.
"We like romanticizing the moment that we're in. I’m so excited to see her," she said in reference to Bennett.
The couple reportedly planned the whole wedding themselves with assistance from Stallings' mother, Ashley Gilbow.
"The whole wedding party is in white," Stallings said. "The guys [brothers and fathers] are in white dinner jackets with black pants, and then all of the 12 bridesmaids are in ivory, satin gowns," Bennett added.
"We decided to make our moms our something blue. Miss Ashley is wearing a stunning blue gown, and when I walk down the aisle, I’m going to hold blue hydrangeas for my mom who passed away," she shared.
"My dad will walk me down and my mom will be the first aisle seat in the front row, so I will put those flowers in my mom’s chair, and then I’ll walk back up the aisle with my white bridal bouquet," Bennett explained.
The pair also took to social media to share several moments from their wedding after exchanging the vows.
