Entertainment
Olivia Jade feels ‘publicly shamed’ for parents’ involvement in US college admissions scandal
Olivia Jade Giannulli has given her side of the story for her parents’ part in the American college admissions scandal and feels she has been mistreated.
In 2019, a number of parents were embroiled in a scheme to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several top universities in the country.
An investigation into the conspiracy, called Operation Varsity Blues, resulted in at least 53 people being charged by US federal prosecutors, with YouTuber Olivia’s mother Lori Loughlin, 56, and father Mossimo Giannulli, 57, pleading guilty.
Both parents served time in federal prisons in California, with her mother being released in December last year and her father scheduled to walk free next month.
Social media star Olivia, 21, has now spoken out about feeling ‘publicly shamed’ for her family’s involvement in the scandal.
In a video shared with her TikTok followers on Friday, she said: ‘We were talking about being publicly shamed, and I was like, “Well, my situation doesn’t even compare, I’m not even going to start to compare it to yours.” And she looked at me and said, “Olivia, it doesn’t matter if I’m drowning in 60 feet of water and you’re drowning in 30, we’re both still drowning.”’
Olivia continued: ‘I think about that quote every day because I think it’s so true and it’s such a bigger message to our world right now. I think we’re all very quick to judge. I think we’re all very quick to put people down…
‘You’re allowed to have a hard time in this world. But that doesn’t take away from somebody else, and that shouldn’t take away from you. We’re all human beings.’
The influencer returned to social media in January after her mother was released from jail the previous month.
During an appearance on Red Table Talk, she expressed her hope people would give her a second chance, saying: ‘I’m not trying to victimise myself. I don’t want pity — I don’t deserve pity. We messed up.
‘I just want a second chance to be like, “I recognise I messed up.” I never got to say, “I’m really sorry that this happened,” or “I really own that this was a big mess-up on everybody’s part,” but I think everybody feels that way in my family right now.’
Olivia’s parents were alleged to have paid £363,000 in bribes to a coach at the University of Southern California so they’d be seen as athletic prospects for the competitive rowing team, getting them admission to the institution.
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