Just when you thought seeing news about the college admissions scandal was so last semester, think again. Instagram influencer Olivia Jade Giannulli is reportedly taking a year off from posting on social media in order to rebuild her brand.
Part of Giannulli’s path to a rebuilding brand as a social media influencer is to take a hiatus and not post anything on social media, which on its face seems a bit counterintuitive. “She openly tells people, ‘I’m not gonna post on social media for the next year,’” says fellow YouTuber Tana Mongeau in a recent video. The two content creators can be seen hanging out in videos with another Los Angeles-based YouTuber, David Dobrik. Mongeau expressed sympathy for Giannulli’s situation, saying that she didn’t get the impression Giannulli wanted to attend college in the first place, something Giannulli has implied herself.
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Granted, we’re hearing this through someone else. The only way we would know this for sure is if Giannulli posted about it herself, but since she’s taking a break from the platforms we would usually look to for confirmation, we only have her friend’s word to go off of. That and the fact that she hasn’t posted since before the scandal broke in February.
Despite the scandal, Giannulli’s follower count is holding strong at 1.4 million on Instagram and nearly 2 million on YouTube. Perhaps she will be able to move past the scandal and remain an influencer after all.
Earlier this year, Giannulli’s parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, bribery, and money laundering for allegedly paying $500,000 to falsify recruitment to the University of Southern California’s crew team, thus securing admission to the school for their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose. The scandal, which the FBI dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, has caused quite a rift between the social media influencer and her parents. Giannulli dropped out of USC, moved out of her parents' home in Bel Air, and reportedly “blames her parents for everything.”
Some reports suggest that Giannulli may have known and been complicit with her parents’ alleged fraud. As a result, she could also face legal ramifications for her involvement. Even though things remain unsettled, Giannulli is looking for ways to rebuild her brand after losing collaborative deals with TRESemmé and Sephora.