The ‘WAGs’ of the Cincinnati Bengals: Who is rocking social media

WAG is slang for ‘Wives and Girlfriends’ and is generally attributed to women in relationships with athletes.
Olivia Ponton, who has 7.6 million followers on TikTok, is the girlfriend of Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback. TIKTOK SCREENSHOT

Olivia Ponton, who has 7.6 million followers on TikTok, is the girlfriend of Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback. TIKTOK SCREENSHOT
SPORTS CULTURE
By Brooke Bunch
Updated 8 hours ago
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A girl in fringed white cowboy boots, tight black athletic shorts and a Cincinnati Bengals shirt stood outside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Sunday where the Bengals took on the Vikings. She situated her phone on the cell phone stand, pressed record, and backed up to film a message for her 60,000 Instagram followers — in a post captioned, “the trippiest fit check yet lol 🧡🧡.”

“Ok guys, here’s the fiiiit!” squealed the selfie star, better known as Stephanie Niles, fiancé of Bengals backup quarterback, Jake Browning. Pointing to her shirt, she said, “I added, like, little stars and put the ‘6’ on the back, and umm, these books are from Amazon,” doing a side kick for the camera. “And then look at this cutie little thing,” shoving a beaded and bedazzled orange and black keychain about six inches from the camera before signing off. Online: Stephanie Niles (@nileees) Instagram

Niles regularly trends on game day for her “fits” — or outfits — which have gone viral on social media, where she and other Cincinnati Bengals wives and girlfriends (endearingly dubbed WAGs) have amassed massive followings.

We rounded out five of the most popular right now:

THE CHEAT SHEET

  1. Olivia Ponton

  • WAG status: Girlfriend of Joe Burrow, Bengals quarterback
  • Social media following: 7.6M on TikTok, 2.8M on Instagram
  • Age: 23
  • Birthplace: Naples, Fla.
  • Current residence: New York City
  • Profession: Professional model and influencer
  • Education: Naples High School
  • Fun fact: She came out to Teen Vogue as a bisexual in 2021, before later clarifying on the Him & Her Podcast that she was pansexual, meaning sexual attraction to a person of any sex or gender.
  1. Whitney Risner
  • WAG status: Wife of offensive lineman Dalton Riser 
  • Social media following: 1.1M on TikTok, 226K on Instagram
  • Age: 27
  • Birthplace: Chillicothe, Mo.
  • Current residence: Tampa, Fla.
  • Profession: Founder and designer of jewelry line WaaWees
  • Education: Fort Hayes State University
  • Fun fact: Whitney leverages her social media know-how to manage the socials for the RisnerUp Foundation, husband Dalton’s nonprofit organization. Online: risnerup.org
  1. Jazmyn Brock
  • WAG status: Girlfriend of running back Chase Brown 
  • Social media following: 547K on TikTok, 12.2K on Instagram
  • Age: Unknown
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Current residence: Nashville, Tenn.
  • Profession: Fitness trainer
  • Education: San Diego State
  • Fun fact: In September 2024, Chase Brown took to Instagram to share that he and Jazmyn were expecting their first child together, writing, “The best of you. The best of me.”
  1. Grace Uribe
  • WAG status: Girlfriend of defensive end Shemar Stewart  
  • Age: 22
  • Social media following: 206K on TikTok, 24K on Instagram
  • Birthplace: Huntington Beach, Calif.
  • Current residence: San Diego, Calif.
  • Profession: Student
  • Education: San Diego State
  • Fun fact: Grace is a highly regarded softball player for the San Diego State Aztecs. Prior to San Diego state, she pitched at Texas A&M University and was also the L.A. Times Player of the Year and Orange County’s Pitcher of the Year for Huntington Beach High School.
  1. Stephanie Niles
View this profile on Instagram

Stephanie Niles (@nileees) • Instagram photos and videos

  • WAG status: Fiancé of backup quarterback Jake Browning
  • Age: 27
  • Social media following: 12K on TikTok, 60K on Instagram
  • Birthplace: Hong Kong
  • Current residence: Sun Valley, Idaho
  • Profession: Instagram model, social media influencer
  • Education: University of Washington
  • Fun fact: Well-known for her game-day attire, she sported an all-white bodysuit in January 2024 and CBS footage “nearly broke the internet” — as the New York Post put it — after going viral.

From reddit: Wives of NFL

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Tianna Robillard

  • (Former) WAG status: Former fiancé of reserve guard Cody Ford
  • Social media following: 2.3M on TikTok, 630K on Instagram
  • Age: 29
  • Birthplace: Undisclosed
  • Current residence: L.A., Calif. 
  • Profession: Social media influencer, TikTok Star
  • Education: Eastern Washington University
  • Fun fact: Tianna and Cody broke up last year — with Tianna famously posting a video announcing it that’s garnered 18 million views and 34K+ comments.

Olivia Holzmacher (the “other Olivia”)

  • WAG status: Former longtime girlfriend of Joe Burrow  
  • Age: 28
  • Social media following: 1M on TikTok, on 156K on Instagram
  • Birthplace: Mason, Ohio
  • Current residence: Nashville, Tenn.
  • Profession: Senior Business Intelligence Analyst
  • Education: Ohio State (where she met Burrow and became college sweethearts).
  • Fun fact: The two allegedly broke it off in January 2024, when Olivia went radio silent on Instagram, not posting for the entire year. She finally posted in February of this year: “be intentional , do the hard $hit , && show, don’t tell. I found my deeper well.”

Content Creator Brooke Bunch may be reached at brooke_bunch@yahoo.com.

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About the Author

Brooke is an executive speechwriter and brand strategist with an interior design hobby. She's an aspiring wake surfer, novelist and Miami University of Ohio graduate. Reach her at brooke_bunch@yahoo.com.