Tragedy Has Followed Lori Loughlin's Daughter Olivia Jade After College Scam

Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade will forever be associated with the college admissions scandal, and she seems to have accepted that. Unfortunately for the YouTuber, however, that's not the only tough aspect of her new reality.

We won't get into the nitty gritty of the college admissions scandal here, but as most know, she went from an up-and-coming influencer to persona non grata almost immediately, and TBH, it's no surprise that she initially decided to lay low in the thick of her biggest controversy. Part of that included dropping out of USC — and as she shared in her appearance on "Red Table Talk," that was because she was mortified. Speaking of the immediate aftermath of her parents' arrests, she recounted that she didn't return to college. Even a few months later, she added, "I never went back. I was too embarrassed. And you know what, I shouldn't have been there in the first place, clearly, so there was no point in me trying to go back."

Strictly speaking, neither of Loughlin's daughters could officially withdraw from USC while the matter was still being investigated. In fact, USC even released a statement to say every student involved had a "Hold" placed on their accounts. "This prevents the students from registering for classes (until they have agreed to participate in the review of their case), withdrawing from the university, or acquiring transcripts while their cases are under review," it read (via Us Weekly). Even so, she did not return.

While Willow Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith were keen to hear Olivia Jade out on "Red Table Talk," Pinkett-Smith's mom Adrienne Banfield-Norris made it clear from the start that she was not happy about her being there. In fact, she started the introductory part of the conversation by clarifying that she'd tried to fight it. Later on in the episode, Banfield-Norris told Jade that she was incredibly uncomfortable giving her a platform when she had a feeling she would ultimately be able to rehabilitate her image and move on — particularly because the Black community often wasn't afforded second chances. Olivia Jade said she understood where Banfield-Norris was coming from. She also clarified, "I didn't come on here to, like, try and win people over ... I just want to apologize for contributing to these social inequalities."

By the end of the "Red Table Talk," Banfield-Norris had warmed up a bit, and even commended Olivia Jade for voluntarily sitting in the hot seat. Unfortunately for Olivia Jade, though, the criticisms weren't completely over. In fact, soon after the episode aired, "Good Morning America" poked some holes in the claims she made. For one, George Stephanopoulos pointed out that despite saying she hadn't known about the admissions scam, "She knew she sat in a rowing machine and she wasn't a rower." 

Olivia Jade faced another hurdle in 2025, when her parents announced that they had split. That was sure to have been tough the entire family, but making matters worse, a ton of public scrutiny followed (and the pervasive commentary was that Lori Loughlin and Massimo Giannulli's marriage had been doomed for years). 

Insiders speaking to Us Weekly claimed that the college admissions scandal had been a major contributing factor to the couple's marital woes. "The school scandal was a turning point, and they never really connected or recovered their relationship after that ... She felt that he got her involved. She didn't fully blame him, but he spearheaded it. She never fully forgave him and never fully got over it, and they were never the same after," the source told the outlet. Loughlin did face prison time because of the scandal, so we're not surprised they parted ways if she felt that way. 

Olivia Jade has not spoken about the divorce herself, but a source told Us Weekly that both she and her sister were understandably unhappy about it. That said, the insider also claimed they'd seen it coming for months. One consolation is that Olivia Jade's parents are said to be amicable now that they're not a couple, and even planned to spend the holidays together in 2025.