The Real Reason Olivia Jade Is Defending Her Mom Lori Loughlin

Olivia Jade Giannulli has been slowly re-emerging into the spotlight following the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal that shook the nation. In 2019, affluent parents paid big money in a nationwide scheme to get their kids into top schools like the University of Southern California. There were dozens of families involved in the suit, but Lori Loughlin was one of the biggest thanks to her Hollywood past, most notably playing the role of Aunt Becky on "Full House." 

Once some of the dust settled, a judge sentenced Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, to jail time for their involvement, with Loughlin ordered to serve two months behind bars, per Fox News. The actor remained out of the spotlight in the aftermath of the scandal, but she took the opportunity in court to apologize for her actions and try to make things right. "I made an awful decision. I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process," she said. "In doing so, I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass. I thought I was acting out of love for my children, but in reality it only undermined and diminished my daughters' abilities and accomplishments."

A lot has gone on with Olivia during the interim, like a stint on "Dancing With the Stars." The YouTuber put herself back on the radar with a new podcast, and she's finally talking about how she felt for her mother after the incident.

Olivia Jade Giannulli and her mom, Lori Loughlin, have always appeared incredibly close, and the two used to post about one another on social media all the time. After the college admissions scandal rocked their family, their reputation was tarnished, but their bond remains strong. On an episode of her podcast, "Conversations with Olivia," the YouTuber sat down with her big sister, Bella Giannulli to openly discuss the scandal for the first time together.

Olivia said that many people have been asking how they're doing after the scandal, and she wanted to be open and honest about it without making herself the victim. Olivia confessed she felt that her mother took the brunt of the fall for the scandal, despite other big names like Felicity Huffman being involved. "She really took this whole thing on her back, solely," Olivia said of her mom. "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."

Olivia and Bella also told listeners their mom is literally the "nicest person alive" and "has the biggest heart." In addition, Olivia shared how her mom's experience affected her more than her own. "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," she said. It seems like things are on the mend, but this is a scandal people likely won't ever forget.