Olivia Jade Giannulli is still struggling to move past the nationwide college cheating scandal. Lori Loughlin’s 20-year-old daughter was “really embarrassed” after photos her parents allegedly took of her and sister Bella on a rowing machine were released by federal prosecutors.
“It brought up all of her old feelings she had right after the scandal broke,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “Olivia has Bella and her parents to lean on, but this has been a tough setback for Olivia.”
Us obtained the pictures of the YouTuber and Bella, 21, on rowing machines in a gym earlier this month. According to the court documents, Rick Singer, the mastermind of the scandal, asked Loughlin in an August 2016 email for the picture of Bella, writing, “It would probably help to get a picture with her on an ERG in workout clothes like a real athlete too.”
According to the insider, Olivia Jade, who has only posted two YouTube videos in the last 13 months, was planning to return to her influencing career before the photos surfaced.
“Olivia really was feeling like her life was getting back on track before the quarantine and even a little after that,” the source says. “Olivia was going to go back to her parents’ home with Bella and focus on filming content and getting back to her old digital life. After the photos came out, Olivia took a step back and even postponed some online collaborations with friends.”
The source adds: “She knew what the comments section would look like and that everyone would be shading her.”
Back in February, Olivia Jade made headlines after prosecutors released her allegedly fraudulent résumé, which declared she had won several rowing competitions and was “highly talented and has been successful in both men’s and women’s boats.”
Loughlin, 55, and husband Mossimo Giannulli were arrested in March 2019 after they were accused of paying $500,000 to ensure their daughters would be accepted to the University of Southern California as crew recruits. The Full House alum and the 56-year-old designer have subsequently pleaded not guilty to bribery, money laundering and fraud charges. While the couple have urged the judge in the case to dismiss charges against them, citing misconduct, the trial is set to begin on October 5.
