Olivia Jade Speaks Out

This is Olivia Jade. But during her freshman year at the University of Southern California, Olivia's world came crashing down. Her parents, actress Lori Laughlin known to a generation as Aunt Becky from Full House, and fashion designer Massa Mogia Newley, were arrested. I'm definitely ready to address some things. Her parents were among dozens charged for bribing and cheating to

get their kids into top universities. We're here today to announce charges in the largest college admission scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Lori and Masimo had hired college counselor Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the illegal college scheme. The couple allegedly paid five hundred thousand dollars to get their daughters in the USC. Olivia was at the center of the scandal. She was vilified for her entitlement, fired

from brands, and removed herself from public life. Her parents are now in federal prison. Today, Olivia is finally ready to break her silence and address the controversy. Do you have any understanding of why I would be upset at your being here? It's like, child, Please, we are about to meet with a young lady, m Olivia Jade. A lot of people are gonna have a lot of opinions about her story. She called and I wanted to come to our table, um, and we all had very different

feelings about it. Yeah, yeah, you know. I fought it to the nail. I just found it really ironic that, Um, she chose three black women to reach out to for her redemption story. I feel like, here, we are a white woman coming to black women for support when we don't get the same from them. It's just it's it's bothersome to me on so many levels. Her being here is the epitome of white privilege. Privilege to me, I understand where you're coming from. But let me just be clear.

I never want to be the thing that was done to me by white women. I never want to be there. I also believe that these are the kind of attitudes that feed the same thing that we're fighting. It's like people look at us, they say you're black and your female, and they automatically put us in a category. So looking at her as being white, young, and privileged and then putting her in a category, it's the same thing. So I just see it as this cycle. It's not our

responsibility to raise her consciousness. There's gonna be lots of people that agree with you, and we're gonna get heat. Yeah, Yeah, we're gonna get heat. I also feel like this is a practice of compassion. To me, this young girl is reaping the repercussions of some actions of her parents. When I heard her story, it just reminded me of Jaden Willow and Trey. It didn't remind me of them at all,

it did for me as a parent. I'm like, oh, I've been in that position with me thinking I know what's best for my kids, and then they suffered the consequence of it. So you think that she didn't understand what was going on because they did the same thing for her sister. Bottom line, we can't act like we

know exactly what happened. At the end of the day, I really feel like she's gonna be okay, you know, and she's gonna be harb But whether her aunt was sitting at this table or not, maybe maybe not, that's not something that we could say. It's like this, just because you have privilege, it doesn't exempt you the fact that Willow for so long suffered in silence and even turned to self harming herself because she didn't feel like she had a right to be hurt. I've had to

deal with that part as well. People go, your kids are gonna be fine because they're rich. We don't care. But that's painful and it's not true exactly. I feel like Olivia deserves a space. Obviously you do because I thought it. And guess what, she's gonna be sitting right there. That's what this table is about. This table is about growth. What I'm trying to do listening to both of you guys, is I'm sitting in between the two truths and going, Okay, there has to be a way that these can blend.

Just a little bit because both are a hud, valid and true in their worlds. Feelings are what they are, and that's okay, totally Yeah, so let's carry on to the red table. All right, let's should we bring a chair? Hi? My heart is racing out of at the table? How is everybody? I'm nervous. You guys should feel my heart. It's like, but I'm excited. I think I'm definitely ready to address some things and I can't think of a better place. So thank you for having me. Yeah, what

made you want to come to the table? I think that this has been like a really eye opening experience for me in situation and although there's a lot of negative around it and there's a lot of mistakes and wrongdoings, it's led me to have a completely different outlook on a lot of situations. I also felt like I wanted to be somewhere where I I didn't feel like attacked

and maybe I could feel more understood. I've watched the show and I think you guys are all amazing and it feels really safe, but it also feels honest, and it feels like we're going to all lay it out here and it's going to be like an open conversation, which is really important to me as well. I got it. Yeah, your mom's been in prison for a few weeks. Your dad just went, Yes, how's that been? It's been hard, I think for anybody, no matter what the situation is,

you don't want to see your parents go to prison. Yeah, but also I think it's necessary for us to move on and move forward. So before they went, did you all not have any conversation about the circumstances and what went on? We definitely did. Um. I think that what hasn't been super public is that there is no justifying or excusing what happened because what happened was wrong. And I think every single person in my family can be like,

that was messed up. That was a big mistake. But I think what's so important to me is like to learn from the mistake, not to now be shamed and punished and never given a second chance, because twenty one, I feel like I deserve a second chance to redeem myself, to show I've grown. Can you talk to them while they're in prison? I actually haven't spoken to either of them. There there's a quarantine phase just because of COVID, So I think that is the reason, but I'm not too

I just haven't heard anything, so I'm just waiting. Wow, yeah, how does that make you feel. It's so I've never gone that long with that. I'm super close with my parents, especially my mom. She's like my best friends. So it's definitely been really hard not being able to talk to her. But I know she's strong, and I know it's a good reflection period. I'm trying to look at the positives and situations, you know, and I know that it's a

positive that she's in there right now. She gets to really rethink everything that happened, kind of figure out know when she comes out, what she wants to do with what she's learned through all of this, and I think that hopefully will be a blessing in the end. When you first heard about your parents arrests, you were on spring break, right. I just remember getting a call and it was like, hey, liv have you talked to your mom?

And I was like, no, why, And they were like, well, I'll just let you talk to her and then call me back. So I hang up the phone and I had this really weird gut feeling. I didn't know what she was talking about, but I was like, I'm just gonna search my mom's name up. Then it's everywhere. And I was sitting with a group of friends, and I knew any second everybody was going to know too, if they didn't already. And I remember just like freezing and

feeling so ashamed. I went home and hid myself for probably like three or four months, and school was still in session, like I was technically after springbreak, I was going back to school, and I felt so ashamed and embarrassed. And although I didn't really understand what just had happened, because there was a lot that when I was applying, I was not fully aware of what was going on. So when I got home, I just felt so ashamed. I was like, I can't go back there. This is wrong.

But I just remember feeling embarrassed, ashamed and getting the hell home. And did you go back to school or did you decide not to return? Yeah? I never went back. I was too embarrassed. Yeah I was. You know what, I shouldn't have been there in the first place, clearly, so there was no point in me trying to go back.

What was some of the repercussions throughout this whole situation, Because you're a beautiful, young white woman who's been born into privilege, right, and so there would be some people that would feel like she'll be fine, Like I feel that way right, clearly, I feel like you will be fine, right, and that there are other people that wouldn't be fine. Right. That's why it's hard because I'm not trying to come across it is like all this situation, like, I'm not

trying to victimize myself. I don't want pity. I don't deserve pity. We messed up. I just want a second chance to be like I recognized I messed up, and for so long I wasn't able to talk about this because of the legalities behind it. I never got to say I'm really sorry that this happened, or I really owned that this was a big mess up on everybody's part. But I think everybody feels that way in my family

right now. What do you think has been the most hurtful for you emotionally in this whole situation, I felt mostly like embarrassed and ashamed of everything that's happened and things I've lost. I guess just from looking as an outsider, you could say I lost brand deals, I lost followers, or whatever it was. But I really felt most moved by the fact that we did all of this and we're so ignorant. And I feel like a huge part of having privilege is not knowing you have privilege. And

so when it was happening, it didn't feel wrong. It didn't feel like that's not fair. A lot of people don't have that. I was in my own little buble, focusing about my comfortable world, but I never had to look outside of that bubble. But I also I felt very misunderstood the picture that has been painted of me. I feel like it's not who I am. I'm not

this gratty girl that doesn't want to change anything. Also, I understand why people are angry, and I understand what people say hurtful things, and I would too if I wasn't in my boat. And I think I had to go through the backlash and the stuff because when you read it, you realize that there's like some truth in it. I understood that people were upset and angry, and maybe it took me a little bit longer to understand what for, But man, am I glad I did realize for ever.

So what have you learned specifically when all this first happened and it became public. I remember thinking, which my thoughts are completely different than that, but I remember thinking, how are people mad about this? Like I know that sounds so silly, but in the in the bubble that I grew up and I didn't know so much outside of it, and a lot of kids in that bubble, their parents were donating to schools and doing stuff that advantage. There are so many advantages. It's not fair and it's

not right, but it was happening. And so when this first came out, I was like, I don't really understand what's wrong with this, Like I'm not I'm not understand that this was because what was going on look like to you that it was just this is what happens, like everybody does. But I don't realize at the time that's privilege. I didn't I didn't put those two together. I was like, well, this is what everybody does, and my parents worked really hard and I don't understand, but

that's not that's not how it should be. And unfortunately that's how it was. And I'm grateful for the situation to see that big change and that big difference in my own mind to know, like okay, Leivia. The fact that you were on YouTube and you were saying stuff like I don't want to go to school. I I just want to go party at school. I don't know how much of school I'm going to attend, but I'm gonna go in and talk to my deans and everyone and hope that I can try and balance at all.

But I do want the experience of like game days, partying. I don't really care about school. Like the fact that you even could say those things just shows how fortunate you were that you don't have to worry about that, that you knew you were gonna be okay without it, And that sits with me and makes me cringe. And it's embarrassing that I ever said those types of things and only said them, but edited it, uploaded it, and then saw their response to realize it was wrong. There

was no like malicious intent behind it. I was never trying to hurt anybody or say those things to brag about my life. It was just I was oblivious and just a level of unconsciousness. Yeah, completely. And it's like I sit here now and I'm like, well, how don't like, how don't you realize stuff like that that's embarrassing that that did fly over your head. But so let me ask you, if you have a clear understanding of what

white privilege really is. Now, I understand that I just based off my skin color, I already had my foot in the door, and I was already ahead of everybody else. I can recognize that going forward, I do want to do stuff to change that and to help that. And I had a really cool experience a few weeks back where I went downtown in the Watts area and I got to work with some kids in this after school program.

And it was kind of just shifted my whole mentality because when I was sitting with them and talking to them, and they were they all were so little, but they were so grateful for that education, that after school place that they could go away from their neighborhood to come back and have a little freedom and focus on their schoolwork. And I was watching all of them, and I was thinking about my situation and that I took all of that for granted. I didn't think that I was lucky

to have that. I just expected it because that's what I grew up around. So it was a big shift in my head knowing like Okay, let's kind of start recognizing where the wrongs are and that I was looking for something to work with because I haven't been doing much, and I'm like, I want to work with something and feel good and I want to give back to children who want is privileged exactly and putting time into it too.

And I'm just at the beginning, and I want to continue doing stuff and finding more things to do, but not just throw money out a problem, you know, like I want to invest myself so I can start time. Yeah, I don't want to act here like I've been doing all like I'm trying. I'm starting, but I'm starting. I'm still learning and it's taken me a minute to do. But I also think I needed to have that understanding and that mind set switched to be genuine while I'm

doing stuff. And I think if I were to come on here a year ago, this would have been a completely different conversation, and so I needed to learn. So do you understand why um, different people in the community would be upset? Do you have any understanding of why I would be upset at at your being here and what you all did. I would also left to hear it from you because I feel like it's a good learning thing. I think I can understand how wrong it is.

And we had the means to do something and we completely took it and ran with it, and it was something that was wrong. And I think what a lot of people not that it matters because nothing that happened was. It really can't be excused like on paper, it's bad. It's really bad. But I think what a lot of people don't know is my parents came from a place of just I love my kids. I just want to help my kids whatever is best for them. I worked my whole life to you know, provide for my family.

And I think they thought it was normal. And I think that there was a college counselor involved who seemed legitimate and ended up not being legitimate. And in that community, it was it was, it was not out of the ordinary. It's embarrassing to say that I didn't know. Do you want to express why this would be upsetting for you, just so that she has understanding, you know what I mean,

different perspective for me. It's like, um, there is so much violent dehumanization that the black community has to go through on a daily basis, right, There is so much devastation, particularly this year with the pandemic and rething being brought to the table, just how there's so much um inequality, yeah, inequality and inequity um that when you come to the table with something like this, it's like, child, please, no,

I got that. I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted with everything that 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, you know, or you're not in school right now, because at the end of the day, you're gonna be okay, because your parents are gonna go in and they're gonna do their sixty days and they're gonna pay their fine, and you guys will go on and you'll be okay and you will live your life.

And there's so many of us that it is not going to be that situation. It just makes it very difficult right now for me to care this atmosphere that we are in right now. A year from now, I might feel differently, but right now, in the atmosphere that the world is in, it's very difficult for me to feel compassionate about you. I'm trying to, and it's and I shouldn't say about you, because I don't want you to take it um that personally. You know what I mean,

It's not really about you. But this is what I am glad because what I am hearing from you is that there is an interest and a desire to learn and figure out where you fit in the world and what your role is to try to make a difference. Here's what I love about this converse sation makes me very hopeful in the sense of you are in a space and I have a really beautiful opportunity to come outside of that bubble and use your know how in

your resources to serve. It may take you a minute to find out exactly what that niche is for you. You know what, It's going to require your willingness to do some education on your own and to really understand white privilege and what's happening in the world today. I didn't come on here to like try and win people over,

and I really need people to like me. I just want to apologize for contributing to these social inequalities without maybe not even though I didn't realize that at the time, like being able to come here and recognize that I am aware, Yes, you know and that's all we can ask. Listen, we all have levels of unconsciousness, Lord knows, and then something happens in my life that just smacks me on top of the head, that has to shake me into

more awareness. And that's just what life is. But the beautiful part is that when we had these experiences that shake us, we listened to the call. Right when this happened with your parents, I'm sure you were angry or were you angry? We're assuming that, Yeah, that's true. Were you angry or be honest, I wasn't angry, And I think it's because I didn't have a good understanding of

what just happened. I didn't see the wrong in it, like a honestly, when it first happened, I didn't look at it and say, oh my god, like how dare we do this? I was like, why is everybody complaining? I'm confused what we did? And that's embarrassing to admit. That's embarrassing within itself that I walked around my whole twenty years of life not realizing, like, you have insane privilege. You're like the poster child of white privilege, and you

had no idea. And so I think that although I've had a really strong relationship with my mom and my dad my whole life, I was definitely confused when this all came out and I went and confronted them about everything. They didn't really have much to say except like, I'm so sorry, I like, really messed up and trying to

give the best to you and your sister. And they're my family and I've known them since that was out of the wood, so I know they're good people, and I know that I'm not going to judge them for a mistake they made, and although it's a big one, like they're they're going to pay the price for it. And regardless of what people say, I've seen them day in and day out and how they've received all of this, and I know that they've struggled. Why do you think it was so important for your parents to have you

go to that school? I really believe my dad has attachment issues and didn't want us to leave California for starters. I think he just loves his kids, and his daughter was then one of them. Close. My mom really for most of the time when I was applying to school, was in Canada shooting a movie. It was involved in my whole childhood. But when it came to that, she like, Mossy,

you handle it. I'm out, like I'm going to work now, because she she put off so much work to raise us, so she felt like she got us to an age where we can handle ourselves, and then she went back to working. So I think having us close to home was a big one. I think knowing that he knew a lot of people that went there and how all the amazing experiences he was so tunnel vision on. I just want my kids to have a good college experience, and I just want them to have an amazing education,

and I know I can give that to them. Neither of them went to college, so I think it was important for them, like we didn't get to have that. I want to give it to you, but they wanted to give it to us a little too much. How has your sister doing throughout all this? She's also learned a lot, and she's kind of more laid back and relaxed, so she's like a little bit I think calmer than I am throughout a lot of this in terms of just feeling emotional, if like my parents being away or

whatever it is. Although it's hard because I don't want to come across like what was me? You know. I know people go through way worse, you know, and I don't want that. I'm just speaking from my personal experience. I'm still human with feelings, you know. Yeah, but she's good. Do you feel like this has brought you too closer? Yeah? We also lived together and we have like for like read each other's next all the time because we lived together in an apartment, so got it. We're as close

as it can be. How do your friends feel about what what you've been through? You have friends who are in the same same state Yeah, oblivion, ignorance, yeah yeah I do, and unawareness as you were. They all grew up similar lifestyles. None of us are intentionally trying to look the other way. You don't need to address these problems. But we weren't presented these things, and like you don't know what you don't know. I hear what you're saying.

But I also recognized to this kind of stuff that I'm talking about has been on the news every day all day. I'm talking about this state of oblivion and unawareness that she and her friends are living in. It sounds like we're putting the responsibility for that on somebody else when it's not their young adults and the news is on every day, and you have some responsibility in that yourself. No, I can't argue that. Yeah, so that's

my you know, No, I totally understand. But at the same time, there's some acceptance that we have to have around that and having to make room an allowance for change. I also understand where it's Why would I give you the chance now to say you understand when you've had all this time. He's been going on for generations. I get all that frustration. Absolutely. It would be a lie to say I've been knowing and working towards the quality since when I was this big. It would be a

lie to say I was actively doing stuff. If I ever heard a comment, of course, I'm going to speak

up and say something I know right from wrong. I just didn't think I never knew the depth behind it, because that makes sense, and I want to take the focus off to a little because I put a lot of emphasis on the just for me personally from the racial point of view, but also just the fact that the measures that were taken to get you into a college or university doesn't have anything to do with race, it's people that have worked hard to earn the right

to be in that college and your parents decision to pay somebody to alter your whatever it was that they did. You understand what I'm saying. So that doesn't have anything to do with the race. That just has to do with financial privilege and entitlement. I think it was hard for me too, is I worked my ass off in high school. I wasn't slocking in high school. I don't want to discredit myself to the point where I was like, I've all this, and then also I didn't care, like

I really did care. I was always a very involved student. I think that I put a lot of trust into a person that claimed their profession was college counseling, and it led me in a wrong direction. And it's not to shift blame, but it's just to explain, like I

wasn't aware of what was going on. I did work hard, and when this did come out, I was a little confused when I saw stuff about what I had written on my application, and I remember writing on my application about my YouTube channel and vidcom and there were two very different things, you know, So there was a lot of it that I was like WHOA. And I'm sitting you know, reading things online, and I'm like, if only people knew how much, how how bad I feel that

this happened. I think I want people to understand that I've made a million mistakes, and this one, I think on you know, my family's part, whatever, it was a really big one. But I just want people to know they were just in their heads. It was like everybody has a college counselor, and I'm just gonna donate to a school like all my friends did with their kids. And and I think what's crazier is that how so many people in that in our area, like don't recognize

that it's wrong. I think, although it took a crazy experience for me and my family to realize that, I'm happy that we've do you know, like that will never happen when I have kids. That will never happen. I just hope that people can see that. I just want to move forward. And I totally totally understand if people aren't ready to jump on board with me. But I'm here because I want to leave it on the table. I don't want to keep dragging this throughout my life.

I often think if every single person like you reflect on the biggest mistake you ever made to then have that be so public, but didn't make it much easier. You know, when I was on YouTube, it was so we'll just come along with my world, like see where I'm at, Let's just go for my journey and I now and I go back. I just want to make it very clear and very where, like, oh, there are big problems going on in the world that are outside my bubble, and I'm so comfortable that I don't have

to go outside of it. So it's making that change of like, yeah, you could sit where you are and wouldn't affect you, But how much better off a person would you be if you used your blessings to help somebody else. What I will say is that I'm really happy that you were breaking those patterns and so you know you come into the table and also just talking about your new awareness. That brings me a lot of joy.

It really does, because you're a brave girl. I don't know too many young women in your position that will come and sit with the three of us. Thanks for having The wrath of dam is no joke, right, but let me tell you just feel that way. Let me tell you the truth of the matter is you don't

have to do Yeah, yeah, you really don't. You don't because the fact of the matter is you could just keep on keeping You could just keep keeping on, and you like that's the problem, right, but keeping on keeping on. I think what was important was for me to come here and say I'm sorry, I acknowledge what was wrong. And I wasn't able to say that for so long, so I think people almost thought, oh, she must not care, that must have not affected her. And she wasn't moved

by that. And I took my privilege and all my bless things for granted and I never thought anything of it. And that's what really rocked me. I was like, this is wrong. You need to talk about this. You need to do it publicly because the situation was public, and then you need to move forward and do better. Yeah, that's all we can ask. When we know better, we do better. When that goes across the board, the Lord knows. I'm learning every day to just do better. Life lessons.

That's it. Life unfolds. We learn, keep moving and keep moving. Thanks guys. My heart was like this meeting, like, okay, yeah, I've never done an interview before. I don't think I think this is like my first interview. I was like, I guess I'm going on Red Table. I'm just going, God, yeah, you did well. Now you know, if game is saying you did well, then you know, trying to assess things to say right now because we've been talking deep for so long. But I love the color of your suit.

I was sitting over and I just was like, gamped. Also because it's not about where, but that's yeah, when you walked in, I'm like, oh, right, So you don't even want me to be mad at I definitely don't want you to be mad at me here. I think it's not it's the situation. To join the Red Table Talk family and become a part of the conversation. Follow

us at facebook dot com slash red table Talk. Thanks for listening to this episode of Red Table Talk podcast produced by Facebook Watch, Westbrook Audio, and I Heart Radio.