Lori Loughlin's Daughter Was Giving College Tips Days Before College Bribery Scandal

A week before actress Lori Loughlin was arrested for her alleged involvement in the college admissions scam, her daughter, YouTuber Olivia Jade Giannulli, talked about giving college advice to high schoolers. Loughlin, best known as Aunt Becky from the '90s sitcom Full House, allegedly paid $500,000 to make it seem like her daughters were on the rowing team to help get them into University of Southern California. However, neither of them rowed.

In an interview posted on March 8 with the Zach Sang Show, the 19-year old talked about balancing college with YouTube and her collaboration with Sephora.

"It's the coolest thing getting DMs from girls being like, 'I'm applying to college right now, what did you do?' It's fun," she said.

Olivia Jade has 1.9 million subscribers on her channel, which focus on makeup, lifestyle and college vlogs.

When the hosts asked how she balances her busy schedule, Olivia Jade said she had more time in college than she did in high school.

"Mostly my parents wanted me to go because both of them didn't go to college. I'm so happy they made me go. That sounds so terrible, they didn't make me," she said. "My sister [Isabella Rose] goes to the same school and we are pretty much inseparable, so it was nice following in her footsteps in a little bit. I do like it."

Olivia Jade also talked about her father in the March 8 interview, saying he "faked" his way through school.

"He didn't come from a lot so it's cool to see that he built it all himself," she said. "He, like, built his whole entire brand and he wasn't actually, like, I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, ever enrolled in college. But he, like, faked his way through it and then he started his whole business with tuition money that his parents thought was going to college. That's, like, such a different time. I don't know if I was supposed to say that, but it's okay."

This wasn't the first time Olivia Jade, as she is best known on YouTube, received backlash from viewers. Last year, she posted a video saying she's only in college for the parties.

"I don't know how much of school I'm going to attend but I'm going to go in and talk to my deans and everyone, and hope that I can try and balance it all," she said. "But I do want the experience of like game days, partying…I don't really care about school, as you guys all know."

USC currently has an acceptance rate of 16 percent and ranks 22 in national universities, according to recent data from U.S. News & World Report.

Her father Mossimo Giannulli and Loughlin were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The judge set a bond at $1 million for each of them.

Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media, dropped Loughlin on Thursday after the allegations surfaced. Olivia Jade also lost her sponsorships with Sephora and TRESemmé.

Rumors swirled that Olivia Jade dropped out of USC amid the controversy, though the school confirmed to Newsweek she was still enrolled.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go