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Olivia Jade Takes to ‘Red Table Talk’ to Finally Break Her Silence Following College Admissions Scandal

Facebook/Red Table Talk

Olivia Jade appeared on Red Table Talk to discuss her college bribery scandal, where Jada Pinkett Smith and her mother get in a heated debate about whether the influencer even deserved a platform to speak.

Olivia Jade, daughter of Full House star Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, wanted to clear the air and express her remorse following her parents’ involvement in one of the biggest college admissions scandals in the nation’s history. Like many others, Pinkett Smiths’ mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, who’s also called Gammy, was not happy with her daughter’s decision to allow the 21-year-old to come on the show.

Last year Loughlin and Giannulli, among several others, were charged after it was revealed that they had paid $500,000 in bribes to get Olivia Jade and sister Isabella Rose into the University of Southern California. They had also worked with businessman Rick Singer to create fake resumes and lie about extracurricular activities on their applications.

While her parents are away at prison, Olivia Jade chose to reach out to Red Table Talk after wanting a safe space to share her side of the story, but Gammy shared her disagreement with allowing her to be a guest. “I fought it tooth and nail,” she said.

She expressed not having the energy to hear a privileged white woman’s sob story when the Black community is currently dealing with so many hardships. She also felt that it was a slap in the face for the YouTube star to use a platform of all Black women to gain support when Black women aren’t given that same freedom.

Pinkett Smith, however, felt that it was unfair to dismiss and label Jade solely based on her privilege and wealth. She said Jade’s story reminded her of her own children and the misconception that children of wealthy parents can’t have struggles like everyone else.

Throughout the interview, Jade expressed her remorse and claimed she didn’t fully know and understand what her parents had done to get her into USC. She also spoke in great detail about using the scandal to become more aware and educate herself about the advantages she has because of her race and financial status.

Many took to social media to express their agreement with Gammy and most aren’t buying Jade’s story. They find it nearly impossible to believe that she was completely oblivious to what her parents had done and they think she only decided to appear on the show as a PR move to try to redeem her image.

Regardless of whose side you’re on, it’s hard to argue that the show featured a very important discussion about entitlement and white privilege that we all can learn from. Feel free to check out the latest episode of Red Table Talk “Olivia Jade Speaks Out,” now streaming on Facebook Watch.