Olivia Jade isn’t the first social media star who tried to uncancel herself by appearing on Red Table Talk. Jordyn Woods joined Jada Pinkett-Smith last year amidst backlash over her entanglement with Tristan Thompson.
But it wasn’t a scandalous relationship that put Olivia Jade in hot water, but one about her college education. Last year, Olivia’s parents, actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli made international news as they were caught bribing officials at the University of Southern California in exchange for the admission of their two daughters as fake athletic recruits. The Youtuber’s parents weren’t the only people involved in the scandal as Desperate Housewives star, Felicity Huffman, was among the 50 people charged in the college exam cheating scandal that graced magazine covers all over the country. Lori Loughlin, the star of the popular 90s sitcom, Full House, was sentenced to two months in prison after a federal judge accepted a plea deal for her part in the US college admissions scam. Her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, received a five-month prison sentence.
Olivia Jade joined Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris, or Gammy, in her time on Red Table Talk.
When asked how she’s been dealing with the recent incarceration of her parents, she responded “it’s been hard,” Jade continued, “I think for anybody, no matter what the situation is, you don’t want to see your parents go to prison. But also I think it’s necessary for us to move on and move forward.” She also added that she feels like she deserves “a second chance to redeem myself, to show I’ve grown.”
Gammy seemed to represent all of us as she looked irritated during the entire interview, refusing to feel sorry for Olivia. She grilled the 21-year-old over her ignorance and white privilege during the interview, “But right now, in the atmosphere that the world is in, it’s very difficult for me to feel compassionate about you.”
Although Olivia seemed to be open and honest in her 30-minute-long interview, admitting she didn’t see a problem with what her parents did at first and thinking it was “normal”, the three women weren’t going to let her get off easy. When talking about the backlash Olivia faced Gammy shot back saying, “I’m exhausted with everything we have to deal with as a community and I just don’t have the energy to put into the fact that you lost your endorsements.”
Jade’s choice to join three black women to talk about an issue that had a lot to do with white privilege was questionable to most, but it could also mean that confronting her toughest critics was now behind her. What does this mean for Olivia Jade going forward? With her reintroduction into the spotlight, it seems like her return to Youtube is on the horizon.
Watch the whole Red Table Talk episode below.
