Lori Loughlin’s daughter, YouTube star Olivia Jade Giannulli, is reportedly upset with her parents over the bribes prosecutors said they paid to get her and her sister into the University of Southern California.
Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying William “Rick” Singer $250,000 for each daughter to be falsely portrayed as athletic recruits to get them into the university.
Singer had pleaded guilty to orchestrating the nationwide scheme, with 50 people indicted in total, including parents and athletic coaches.
Olivia Jade, 19, and Isabella “Bella” Giannulli, 20, are still enrolled at the university but the college said on March 18 that they and other students embroiled in the scandal cannot enroll in classes or get transcripts while an internal investigation continues.
Neither the girls, nor their parents, have spoken publicly since Loughlin and Giannulli were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud on March 12. None of the children of parents who were involved in the scheme have been charged, including those authorities who had knowledge of what was happening, and it wasn’t clear to what extent Olivia Jade and Bella were aware of what happened.
An anonymous source told Entertainment Tonight on March 20 that the girls feel like they’re being attacked.
Bella “was far more invested in college and would loved to have completed USC,” the source said, while Olivia Jade is “so embarrassed she doesn’t even want to go out.”
The popular vlogger is “really angry with her parents because she told them she did not want to go to college and she was pushed,” the source added.
“She has been passionate about her career and wanted to work and was doing well but that wasn’t enough,” the source continues. “Her parents said she would have to juggle college and her career. Now she’s devastated because everything she built implode before her eyes.”
Olivia Jade has been dropped by Sephora and TRESemme, among other companies, in the wake of the scandal. Loughlin, meanwhile, was dropped from “Fuller House” on Netflix and two Hallmark television series in which she had recurring roles.
Another source told Us Weekly that Loughlin’s “intentions were pure” and that the 54-year-old actress “is a really great mom who is completely into her kids and family life.”
“In [Lori’s] mind, the end result made everything she had to do worth it,” the unnamed source said. “And she really didn’t even see it as being a huge deal.”
Loughlin and Giannulli were arrested earlier in March and released on bond, with court appearances scheduled later in March in a federal courtroom in Boston. They each face up to five years in prison if convicted.
