Olivia Jade

In 2018, according to an indictment by the United States Government, Giannulli posed for a photo on an ergometer rowing machine. The photo was later submitted as part of her application to the University of Southern California (USC) with the implication she was a competitive rower, though she was not and had no interest in becoming one.[5] At the same time, it is alleged, her parents paid $500,000 in bribes to a coach at the university to designate her and her older sister Isabella as athletic prospects for the team, enabling them to gain admission to the school.[5][6][13][14] According to the federal criminal complaint against her father, Olivia Jade was confused about how to complete the USC application, and an employee of the alleged conspiracy's ringleader ultimately had to fill it out on her behalf.[15] Teen Vogue has reported that "it is undetermined if Olivia Jade knew about the alleged scheme".[16]

Before starting classes at USC, Giannulli prompted criticism when she posted a statement to her YouTube channel in which she said, referring to her upcoming attendance at USC, "... I do want the experience of like game days, partying ... I don't really care about school, as you guys all know."[17] According to Newsweek, Giannulli had been actively giving advice on applying to university to her social-media followers days before federal agents arrested her parents on fraud charges for their alleged involvement in the conspiracy.[18] On March 13, 2019, media sources reported that when news of the scandal broke, Giannulli was in the Bahamas on Rick Caruso's $100 million yacht.[19] Giannulli is friends with Caruso's daughter Gianna,[20][21][22][23] and Caruso is the chairman of the USC Board of Trustees.[24][25]

On March 14, 2019, two days after the scandal broke, Sephora distanced itself from Giannulli, announcing that the company would be ending its makeup partnership with her.[26] TRESemmé also dropped her as a sales partner.[27] Some media outlets had reported that Giannulli dropped out of USC due to fears of being "viciously bullied"; however, a university spokesperson later confirmed that Giannulli remained enrolled at the school.[28][29]

Giannulli was also subjected to public shaming and generalized ridicule through social and traditional media after allegations of the scandal surfaced.[30][31] Giannulli's social media platforms were inundated with critical comments and she ultimately disabled the comment features on her Instagram account.[31] Slate writer Heather Schwedel said that Giannulli checked "all the right boxes for ridicule",[32] while comedian John Oliver, speaking on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, opined that "death threats" were inappropriate but a limited period of joke-making at Giannulli's expense would be socially acceptable.[33] On December 2, 2019, Giannulli broke her silence on the scandal in a video posted to her YouTube account titled "Hi Again." However, she did not address the scandal directly, saying in the video that she had been legally barred from doing so.[34]

USC scheduled a hearing in March 2019 to determine if Giannulli should be identified as a "disruptive individual", which could result in a lifetime ban from the university.[35]

In October 2019, the USC Registrar confirmed that Olivia and her sister were no longer enrolled at the university, but due to student privacy laws, the university did not confirm if the sisters were expelled.[36]