Olivia Jade Giannulli finally broke her silence Tuesday about the college admissions scandal that landed her parents — actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli — in prison.
What You Need To Know
- Olivia Jade Giannulli spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday about the college admissions scandal that landed her parents in prison
- The daughter of actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli said her family "messed up" but that she deserves a "second chance to redeem" herself
- Loughlin is serving two months in prison; Mossimo Giannulli is serving five months
- They admitted to paying Rick Singer $500,000 to help their two daughters get admitted to the University of Southern California
In an interview on Jada Pinkett Smith's Facebook Watch show “Red Table Talk,” the 21-year-old Giannulli said she felt “ashamed and embarrassed” and that she has now woken up to the sort of privilege she was afforded.
"It's been hard. For anybody, no matter what the situation is, you don't want to see your parents go to prison, but also I think it's necessary for us to move on and move forward," the social media influencer said. "What happened was wrong, and I think every single person in my family can look at it and be like, ‘That was messed up, that was a big mistake.’ But I think what's so important to me is to learn from the mistake.”
Giannulli, who goes by Olivia Jade professionally, said she doesn’t expect pity but believes she deserves "a second chance to redeem myself to show I've grown."
Loughlin, 56, and Giannulli, 57, admitted to paying Rick Singer, the ringleader of the admissions scheme that involved dozens of other wealthy parents, $500,000 to help their two daughters get admitted to the University of Southern California. They were designated as crew recruits despite not participating in the sport.
Loughlin, who starred in the sitcom “Full House,” pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and is serving two months in prison. Mossimo Giannulli admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of honest services wire and mail fraud and is serving five months.
Admitting she lived in a “bubble” of wealth and privilege, Olivia Jade said she initially didn’t understand what her family had done wrong.
"I was like, 'Why is everybody complaining?'" she said. "That's embarrassing within itself, that I walked around my whole 20 years of life not realizing you have insane privilege, you're like the poster child of white privilege, you had no idea.”
She now says her family’s actions “really can’t be excused.”
Olivia Jade added that she was “too embarrassed” to return to USC after the scandal erupted.
“I shouldn't have been there in the first place, clearly, so there was no point in me trying to go back,” she said, adding that she did work hard in high school.
She said she was also so ashamed that she hid in her home “for probably three or four months.”
Olivia Jade said she has not spoken to her parents due to COVID-19 restrictions at the prisons. She said their time behind bars could prove to be a “blessing.”
"I know she's strong, and it's a good reflection period," she said of her mother. "I know that it's a positive that she's in there right now. She gets to really rethink everything that happened, kind of figure out when she comes out what she wants to do, what she's learned through all of this and I think that hopefully will be a blessing in the end."