Olivia Jade Giannulli has confirmed she’s “not trying to pull the pity card” by featuring on Season 30 of the dancing competition Dancing with the Stars. The 21-year-old influencer and daughter to Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli spoke openly ahead of her televised performance last night, straight-up addressing the college admissions scandal her parents were involved in last year.
Olivia Jade Speaks Out Over College Admission Scandal
Giannulli spoke out in her introduction as she was making her DWTS debut, where she is partnered by pro-Val Chmerkovskiy. The YouTuber did not mention her parents’ jail sentences after they admitting paying $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California in the intro, but she definitely alluded to the scandal, even using the word.
“For the past few years, I guess you can say I’ve been wrapped up in a scandal,” She said. “After everything happened, I did step back from social media and just soak in what everybody was saying. I’m not trying to pull a pity card, but I just need to move forward and do better.”
Addressing Val, she continued: “I just want to show people that I have a different side to me, I have a strong work ethic.”
See Her Pre-Airing Photo Below
Giannulli’s mom Lori Loughlin was released from prison in December 2020 after pleading guilty to her May conspiracy charge. She was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and 100 hours of community service, along with a $150,000 penalty.
Giannulli, on the other hand, has been using Instagram to generate buzz about her TV gig. Shortly before the airing, she updated from a parking lot and in a plunging strappy top for a stunning selfie, one shouting out the ABC series’ season premiere.
Next was a photo with her pro partner Val. This one was shared during the airing. The duo was seen in pastel blues as they posed outdoors – here, Olivia Jade stunned in satin and girly minidress, showing off her long legs and elongating them in high heels. Taking to her caption, she wrote:
“That was exhilarating!! please text OLIVIA to 21523 (during the live show.. yes u can vote 10 times & go to abc.com and vote 10 MORE times) love you guys!!!! And love YOU.”
Following her performance, Olivia Jade also took a moment to thank sister Bella, who had been in the audience. She told People: “It was great having my sister in the crowd,” adding: “She’s my best friend in the world. Her support is everything and it creates a level of comfort knowing my older sister is there watching me.”