Olivia Jade breaks silence on the college admissions scandal on 'Red Table Talk'

Olivia Jade Giannulli has finally broken her silence on the college admissions scandal that sparked national outrage in March 2019.

The 21-year-old daughter of Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli appeared on Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk, admitting she was “ashamed and embarrassed by college admissions scandal” that landed both her parents in prison.

“I felt so ashamed and embarrassed … although I didn’t really 100 percent understand what had just happened because there was a lot that, when I was applying, I was not fully aware of what was going on,” she told on the show “When I got home [from spring break], I just felt so ashamed.” 

Olivia also told the co-hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris that she was “too embarrassed” to return to the University of Southern California.

She was a freshman at USC with her older sister Isabella Rose Giannulli, who was also enrolled there as a rowing recruit despite having never played the sport. The sisters quit college after the scandal was made public.

“I shouldn’t have been there in the first place, clearly,” she said. “A huge part of having privilege is not knowing you have privilege, so when it was happening, it didn’t feel wrong. It didn’t feel like, ‘That’s not fair. A lot of people don’t have that.’ … I was in my own little bubble. Focusing on my comfortable world.”

Also read: Olivia Jade Giannulli’s classmate, YouTuber Harlow Brooks talks scandal, reveals facing threats!

The former YouTuber and social media influencer haven’t spoken to her parents since they have been imprisoned because of a COVID-19 quarantine rule. Loughlin and her husband pleaded guilty to paying $500,000 to William “Rick” Singer to get their daughters to the elite school. Desperate Housewives actress  Felicity Huffman also served 11 days of a two-week jail sentence in 2019 for her involvement in the college admissions scandal.

Also read: Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade Mossimo moves out of family's Bel-Air home

To Olivia and her wealthy friends, donating money as a means to gain admissions was “normal.” However now she added that “It really can’t be excused.”

Host Banfield-Norris also wasn’t willing to excuse the family’s behavior. 

Fueled by the inequality the black community has faced over the years and the BLM movement, Banfield-Norris said, “There are so many violent dehumanizations that the black community has to experience on a daily basis. Especially in this year’s pandemic, there have been so many devastations, all brought to the table. Inequality and inequality. If you come to the table with something like this to see how much equality you have, you’ll get something like “Children, please.” I’m exhausted. Tired of everything we have to work on as a community and have no energy to put into the fact that you have lost your support!"

Also read: Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli faces new charges in college admissions scandal!

According to Olivia, the entire ordeal was a really eye-opening experience for the sisters which reframe their perspective.

“This has been a really eye-opening experience for me … and although there’s a lot of negative around it and there’s a lot of mistakes and wrongdoings, it’s led me to have a completely different outlook on a lot of situations,” she said. 

“I put a lot of trust into a person who claimed their profession was college counseling” Olivia added.

Also read: Isabella Rose Giannulli chills with friends at luxe resort while parents are behind bars

Short Bio

Lori Loughlin was born on July 28, 1964, to her mother Lorellee Loughlin, and her father Joseph Roy Loughlin, a foreman for the New York Telephone Company. Her birthplace is said to be... Full bio

Mossimo Giannulli was born on June 4, 1963, in Southern California, California, USA. His mother Nancy Giannulli was a homemaker while his father Gene Giannulli worked as an architect. He has a younger sibling... Full Bio

Olivia Jade Giannulli’s birth took place on September 28, 1999, in Los Angeles, California, USA. Her parents are Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli... Full Bio

Isabella Giannulli was born to famous parents on September 16, 1998, in Los Angeles, California, USA as Isabella Rose Giannulli... Full Bio