More to the story. Years after Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli were arrested following their participation in the nationwide college admissions scandal, Olivia Jade Giannulli is opening up about the biggest questions about her upbringing and work ethic.
“There is a big misconception about me, I feel at least personally, where I get that comment of, ‘You don’t work hard.’ I didn’t have to start my YouTube when I was 14, I did put in a lot of work,” Olivia Jade, 22, explained during the Monday, January 3, episode of her “Conversations With Olivia Jade” podcast. “There’s always rumors floating around about my grades: ‘She clearly didn’t work hard. She must have failed school.’ I don’t even think I’ve ever said this publicly, but in high school, I had straight A’s and I worked really hard at school.”
The Dancing With the Stars alum further discussed her privilege during the podcast conversation with Dr. Hillary Goldsher.
“I am super aware that I’ve been given opportunities because of my parents and I know that I live a very blessed and fortunate and privileged life,” the YouTuber added. “But then there’s also a part of me that feels… it’s tricky. It’s hard to speak on because I know that to the average human, I have it easy.”
Olivia Jade also revealed that she started attending therapy after the scandal first made headlines nearly three years ago.
“I started [therapy] a few years ago when things went sideways in my family and with the college scandal,” she said. “I just needed somebody to talk to. … When I first started, I wanted it to be good and everything to be healed and all of this to work overnight or within a week’s span, and I feel like it’s been years, and I’m still dealing with things and I still have so many questions.”
The Full House alum, 57, and the fashion designer, 58, were indicted in March 2019 after being accused of paying more than $500,000 to secure their daughters’ — Olivia Jade and Bella Giannulli — admission into the University of Southern California. After pleading guilty to the charges, the pair served two and five months, respectively, in prison.
“Even though I also was getting dragged negatively, it didn’t nearly affect me as much as seeing mom having all this thrown on her,” Olivia Jade said during her first joint interview about the scandal with Bella, 23, during a November 2021 episode of her iHeartRadio podcast. “She really took this whole thing on her back, solely. There are a lot of people that were in this case, and a lot of other parents, and I do not know one other person’s name. I think it’s interesting that when I would read stuff about myself … it didn’t nearly affect me the same way if I read it about our own mom.”
