Even though Lori Loughlin has served her (very brief) time in prison, and her daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli has sat at the red table, Operation Varsity Blues is far from over. In fact, a fascinating new documentary from Netflix is exploring the full scope of the high profile college admissions scandal, revealing a story that is much more complicated than the world even knew.
In March 2019, word broke that 50 people — including Loughlin, her husband Mossimo Giannulli, and Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman — were involved in an elaborate and very illegal scheme to get their children into elite universities. The parents had teamed up with William "Rick" Singer, founder of a college-prep business called The Key, and allegedly paid him thousands of dollars to finesse their kids' admissions materials. Many of the parents involved have since been hit charges like bribery and conspiracy to commit fraud; Loughlin and Mossimo were each jailed for their services. The designer is wrapping up the last few months of his sentence while his wife has been released since December 2020.
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But the scandal isn't exactly in the rearview mirror — Netflix is about to expose a whole lot more of the illegal undertaking in new documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. The aptly named project will rehash the drama of the massive underground admissions fraud by tracing its origins to the man at the very center of it all. Complete with audio collected from FBI wire taps, new interviews from federal agents assigned to the sprawling criminal case, and re-enactments starring Matthew Modine as Singer, Operation Varsity Blues shines on a new light on the criminal enterprise.
Loughlin, Giannulli, and Huffman may have been among the most famous participants in the scam, but they weren't alone — many other parents were willing to bend and even break the rules just to get their kids even more ahead in the rate race than they already are.
"They had every advantage," says one expert in the trailer for the intense documentary. "And yet, they still cheated."
The documentary will underscore a culture of immense privilege in the American education system, highlighting the audacity of the parents and children involved in the case. And Operation Varsity Blues was created by the same minds responsible for viral sensations Fyre and Tiger King, so you already know that this project will have the timeline ablaze.
Olivia Jade may be done talking about this scandal, but the world still has a lot left to say on the topic. Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal hits Netflix on March 17.