Actress Lori Loughlin Destroys Own Career As Well As Hallmark Co-Stars’, Daughter Olivia Jade Suffers Backlash

If you are a fan of the 80’s sitcom Full House, you are most certainly familiar with Lori Loughlin, the actress who played TV show reporter Rebecca Donaldson.

Loughlin’s onscreen character Becky was truly lovely, even getting married to Jesse Katsopolis, played by John Stamos. In real life, however, she is far from the sweet and charming lady you have grown to love on TV.

In mid-March 2019, Loughlin, along with fellow Hollywood actress Felicity Huffman and dozens of other people, was charged for paying huge sums of money in college admissions bribes.

Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly shelled out $500,000 to ensure that her daughters get accepted into the University of Southern California as rowing recruits even though they never participated in the sport.

The other wealthy parents, including Huffman, who starred in Desperate Housewives, also paid millions of dollars to college officials and coaches to secure a slot for their children in some of the country’s most elite colleges.

Loughlin was arrested and eventually released on a $1 million bail. Her husband, whose Mossimo brand has been a staple at Target for decades, was also arrested and released on a $1 million bail. Huffman was also arrested at her home in Los Angeles and then released on a $250,000 bail.

Due to this college admissions cheating scandal, Loughlin was fired by the Hallmark Channel. Her shows Garage Sale Mysteries and When Calls the Heart have been cancelled, consequently putting her co-stars out of work as well. The TV network has also cut her from their annual holiday movies.

Likewise, Netflix has also reportedly cut ties with Loughlin, who appeared as a guest star on Fuller House. She played the role of Aunt Becky in this adaptation of the 80’s show Full House. However, after appearing in twenty percent of the show’s episodes, she will no longer be appearing in the upcoming fifth season.

Loughlin was also ordered by the court to surrender her passport in December. Nonetheless, she is still allowed to travel within the United States and British Columbia for now. She is currently working on a project in Canada.

What Happened During the Court Hearing?

Loughlin went to court with her lawyer, Marc Harris. She was wearing a pair of eyeglasses and a white turtleneck shirt. She sat quietly and stared blankly as she waited to be called by Judge Steve Kim.

She was asked if she understood her rights and that she is not allowed to speak with the other defendants. She answered ‘yes’ to both questions. Her court appearance lasted about five minutes.

The prosecutors divided the accused into three groups, based on their participation in the bribery scheme and their charges. They were put into federal indictment, criminal complaint, and information groups. They were also scheduled to be separately arraigned in Boston this March. The parents, including Loughlin, Giannulli, and Huffman, were scheduled to appear on court again on March 29.

Fifty individuals have been charged in connection with a $25 million scheme in which prominent and wealthy parents allegedly paid college officials, coaches, and test proctors to help their children get accepted into elite colleges.

Giannulli and Loughlin were charged with mail fraud. The United States Attorney’s Office in Boston stated that they allegedly agreed to pay the bribe in July 2016 to enable their daughters to be accepted into the University of Southern California.

What Happened to the Others?

Their two daughters, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade, along with the children of the other parents involved in the case, were not charged by the federal prosecutors.

However, the University of Southern California stated that it is considering whether or not to kick out these students. It also plans to conduct case-by-case reviews of the students and alumni connected to the scandal.

Gary Polakovic, a spokesman from the University of Southern California, said that they would make appropriate and informed decisions once the reviews have been done. Some of the students may have been underage during the time of their application to the university.

Any upcoming student or applicant in the current admissions cycle connected to the scandal will also not be tolerated. Their application to the University of Southern California will be denied.

According to the federal prosecutors, the scammers, celebrities, and coaches used photoshopped images and fake disabilities to get these students get accepted into elite colleges, including Yale, Stanford, and the University of Southern California. They sent these edited photos to William “Rick” Singer, the man behind this massive scam.

Although actress Felicity Huffman was charged, her actor husband William Macy was not. He was merely mentioned as Huffman’s spouse in the affidavit. Huffman “donated” $15,000 to a fake charity in order for her daughter to be allowed to take the SAT exam in a controlled testing center and have the proctor correct her answers afterwards.

What About Olivia Jade?

Olivia Jade, popular vlogger and social media influencer, was enjoying spring break in the Bahamas with her friends from the University of Southern California when the news about the indictment broke out. She was aboard a yacht owned by her friend’s father, Rick Caruso, who is also the chairman of USC’s board of trustees.

Both Loughlin and Giannulli did not attend college, and their daughter Olivia Jade has expressed very little interest in education as well. In fact, she has openly stated that she would rather focus on expanding her YouTube channel than attend classes. She was only interested in partying, and even planned to go to Fiji for a photo shoot in the first week of classes.

This is probably not the first time her parents bribed school officials. In one of her videos, Olivia said that she skipped a lot of classes in high school and that her class have probably forgotten that she went there. Her obviously unattractive attitude towards education was perhaps the reason why she needed great help in the admissions process.

She probably got this kind of attitude from her parents. After all, her father pocketed his tuition money in the late 1980’s to start his clothing brand Mossimo. Rather than attend the University of Southern California, Giannulli sold volleyball shorts out of his garage. Even though his business turned out to be a success, his example to his daughters regarding education was not admirable.

Olivia has disabled the commenting section of her YouTube and Instagram accounts, but her old videos are still active on her channel. She must really love being a social media star that she would rather get more views than take down the videos that could put her and her parents in more trouble.

Brands Started Distancing Themselves from Loughlin and Daughters

The drama that has surrounded this massive college admissions bribery scandal was called Operation Varsity Blues. Ever since this incident, multiple brands have ended their partnerships with Loughlin and her youngest daughter Olivia Jade.

Hewlett Packard has removed an ad that featured Loughlin and her daughter. TRESemmé and Sephora also recently announced that they have cut ties with Olivia Jade. The Olivia Jade x Sephora Collection Bronze and Illuminate Palette will no longer be available in stores.

Amazon, Smashbox Beauty Cosmetics, Dolce & Gabbana, and Marc Jacobs Beauty have also ended their partnerships with the young influencer. Skincare brand Philosophy and clothing brand Lulus have stated that they have no plans of working with Olivia Jade again in the future. Even Olivia’s page with the clothing brand Princess Polly is not active anymore.

This should not be surprising since consumers generally do not want to purchase products and/or services from companies that support or are represented by people who are involved in fraudulent activities.

A lot of people are truly enraged with this college admissions cheating scandal, especially since so many students are not given the opportunity to get into good schools while the rich and famous get to have everything they want.

Although Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose have not been technically kicked out of the University of Southern California, both have decided to drop out of college. Sources claim that the girls were afraid of getting kicked out. They are also being bashed online.

At present, more developments are being done on the case. Investigations are being conducted and evidences are being gathered. This whole ordeal will probably drag on for a few more months before being taken over by another Hollywood drama.