It was over two years ago that Olivia Jade Giannulli and her mom, Lori Loughlin made headlines over the 2019 college admission scandal. And while they say time heals all wounds, the 22-year-old has still been struggling.
It all started when the public found out that Olivia's mom paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in an attempt to secure a spot for her daughter at the University of Southern California. The case spread like wildfire across America, with many people upset to see admissions being bought, rather than earned by hard work like regular students. And the courts agreed. In December of 2020, the 57-year-old mother served two months of jail time, in addition to a $150,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. But what about her daughter?
While it was her mother who did the time, the public wasn't so easy on Olivia. She received a lot of backlash surrounding her position of privilege and was ripped apart on social media. But after some time to reflect, the Dancing with the Stars competitor decided to use her new podcast platform, Conversations With Olivia Jade, to talk about the scandal from her perspective. She was joined by Dr. Hillary Goldsher to talk about "the past, letting go, and moving forward." According to Olivia, she struggled to see her name splashed across the headlines for months upon months. "I'm not saying this to throw myself a little pity party," she confessed. "Because I also think it's circumstantial. Obviously, we really messed up. I don't want that to be taken out of context."
"But it's so much harder for me to be forgiving of myself because I feel so unforgiven by, what feels like, the entire world... Everybody hates me," the young influencer admitted. Olivia went on to talk about the "guilt and stress" that she's put on herself, and her struggle to convince the public that she truly grew from the whole situation. And while the public may not be behind her 100%, Jade stayed committed to continuing her open and honest approach to self-improvement.
Want to hear more? You can keep up with the podcast online or follow the Instagram account, @coversations_oliviajade.
