Olivia Jade is reportedly furious her parents 'ruined' her life with college cheating scandal
We've all accused our parents of ruining our lives at one point or the other, but this is usually because they've refused to extend our curfew, or come up with some compelling reason not to get a dog. Yes, when it comes to you or me, we're probably not having tantrums because mum and dad have been embroiled in a $25 million college admissions cheating scandal.
This is, however, the reality for beauty YouTuber, Olivia Jade Giannulli, whose wealthy parents went above and beyond (the law) to nab her a spot at USC.
Olivia Jade - who is the daughter of Full House actress, Lori Loughlin, and designer, Mossimo Giannulli - has been subjected to harassment online following news of her parents' alleged involvement in the fraudulent scheme.
Since news of the indictment broke, Olivia has been receiving abuse on Instagram, with people accusing her of being a "cheater". "U cheated to get into college?!" one social media wrote, while another added "How’s it feel to be a cheater?"
And the 19-year-old is understandably rattled.
According to a source for Entertainment Tonight, the YouTuber - who boasts 1.4 million followers on Instagram - is furious at her parents for allegedly participating in the college admissions scheme, where they faked test scores to get her into USC.
It's certainly had some repercussions for her career as an influencer, she's lost endorsement deals with the likes of Sephora, TRESemmé, and Estée Lauder, and as a result she purportedly thinks her parents have "ruined everything".
The insider goes onto say that Olivia is even more upset because school wasn't a priority for her in the first place. "She has been passionate about her career and wanted to work and was doing well, but that wasn't enough," they stated. "Her parents said she would have to juggle college and her career. Now she's devastated because everything she built imploded before her eyes. She feels they ruined everything."
Currently, Olivia and her sister, Isabella Rose - who is also implicated in the cheating scandal - have not returned to USC even though classes have begun. Per a source at People, they're currently "living in the moment" and will take things as they come.
Earlier this month, news broke that around 40 people - including Olivia Jade's parents, and actress Felicity Huffman - had been indicted for enlisting the help of an illegal college-preparatory programme to get their children into elite private universities.
Good Morning America has reported that documents show that Lori and her husband reportedly "agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew — thereby facilitating their admission to USC."
Following the allegations, USC has released the following statement:
"We are aware of the ongoing wide-ranging criminal investigation involving universities nationwide, including USC. USC has not been accused of any wrongdoing and will continue to cooperate fully with the government’s investigation. We understand that the government believes that illegal activity was carried out by individuals who went to great lengths to conceal their actions from the university. USC is conducting an internal investigation and will take employment actions as appropriate. USC is in the process of identifying any funds received by the university in connection with this alleged scheme. Additionally, the university is reviewing its admissions processes broadly to ensure that such actions do not occur going forward."