The Biggest Revelations From Netflix’s College Admissions Scandal Documentary
The Season of the Scammer has ARRIVED. As you’re probably aware, Full House star Lori Loughlin and Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman have been accused of ~doing crimes~ to get their kids into prestigious universities. It’s a cheating scandal of epic proportion and the internet just can’t get enough of it.
So we’ve gone ahead and laid out a timeline for you of last year’s most WTF story, which is now the subject of a very 👀 Netflix documentary called Operation Varsity Blues. Check back for the most recent updates, and scroll all the way down if you wanna go back, back to the beginning.
March 17, 2021
Netflix’s take on the scandal is officially out!
Operation Varsity Blues (lol) chronicles the lead-up and fallout of the college admissions debacle in detail, making it clear that the investigation was actually a years-long process. It stars actor Matthew Modine as Rick Singer, the “mastermind” behind the whole scheme who then cooperated with the FBI.
While most of the program relies on transcripts, FBI documents, actor recreation, and headlines, there is one actual interview with someone involved IRL: former Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer, who insists he didn’t know what Singer was really doing. In Operation Varsity Blues, Vandemoer claims his manager is the one who said he could recruit additional students to the team if they could pay $$$ for it. (Stanford denies this.)
“My athletic director said that is something Stanford could do but that 1 million dollars wasn’t enough to really have an impact with admissions,” Vandemoer says. In a very 👀 moment, the documentary alleges Stanford never did return the $770,000 in “donations” from Singer’s “foundation.”
Operation Varsity Blues does dedicate a segment to Lori Loughlin’s family, chronicling the staged crew team pictures, but it’s not new intel. (Felicity Huffman is only mentioned in the doc briefly.)
TL;DR: If you want to watch recreations of wealthy white parents having breezy convos about committing felonies to get their kids into college, Operation Varsity Blues is out on Netflix now.
March 1, 2021
It was only a matter of time until this whole saga was made into a documentary, and the time is now!
Netflix released a trailer for Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, which will drop on the streaming platform on March 17, 2021. The documentary will dig into Rick Singer’s whole operation, including how Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli got wrapped up in it.
January 15, 2021
According to People, Mossimo Giannulli has requested to finish his prison sentence at home, with his attorneys claiming he’s spent 56 days in quarantine because of COVID-19.
“Mr. Giannulli spent almost 40 percent of his total sentence confined in solitary quarantine, despite testing negative for COVID-19 at least 10 times and despite his counsel’s multiple requests that [the Bureau of Prisons] release him from quarantine,” the filing allegedly said. Page Six also reports his team says he has been in solitary confinement because of COVID-19 restrictions since he arrived in November.
December 8, 2020
It happened: Olivia Jade Giannulli went public with her account of the college admissions scandal, sitting down with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris on Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk.
After debating whether or not she should even have this public platform to say something, Olivia Jade said this:
“I think that what hasn’t been super public is that there is no justifying or excusing what happened, ’cause 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 to learn from the mistake. Not to now be shamed and punished and never given a second chance. Because I’m 21, I feel like I deserve a second chance to redeem myself, to show I’ve grown.”
Before confirming she is predictably no longer a student at USC, she walked Jada, Adrienne, and Willow through the phone call she got after the news initially broke.
“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.’ And 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 going to search my mom’s name up.’ And 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 freezing and feeling so ashamed. I went home and hid myself for probably three or four months.”
For more details of Olivia Jade’s account, head right this way.
December 7, 2020
Buckle up: Olivia Jade Giannulli is set to join Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk to talk about the college admissions scandal publicly for the first time.
TBD on what she actually says, but if you’ve been following updates on *gestures wildly* all of this, you’ll def want to tune in. 👀
November 30, 2020
Welp, Felicity’s back at it. And by “it,” I mean acting, not what landed her in prison.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Monday that Felicity “plots” her acting return with an ABC comedy about minor league baseball. This will be her first acting gig since serving time in prison.
November 18, 2020
A bunch of ~sources~ are spilling the inside info on how Lori is doing in federal prison as she completes her sentence.
People spoke to sources who detailed Lori’s time behind bars so far, admitting she had a “weepy” first night: “She has not had any specific problems. No one has tried any shit with her. No one is bullying her. The guards aren’t treating her any differently than other inmates.”
Still, it obviously hasn’t been easy. “She was a little weepy on her first night there,” the source explained. “But she pulled herself together quickly. Now she’s resolved to finish her sentence with her head held high.”
Us Weekly also got intel on the beginning of Lori’s sentence. “Lori really went into prison strong, she had her faith and the support of her family, but the first few days and road ahead are daunting,” a source told Us Weekly. Another didn’t mince words and simply claimed the actress has been a “wreck.”
October 30, 2020
Lori Loughlin officially began her two-month federal prison sentence today. Prosecutors told the New York Times that Lori agreed not to seek early release because of the pandemic, but she was allowed to start her sentence early. (She was originally scheduled to report to prison on November 19.)
Sources also told E! News that Lori hopes she’ll be out of prison and back with her family by the holidays.
August 21, 2020
The sentences are IN. Lori Loughlin has been sentenced to two months in federal prison. She will also be required to pay a $150,000 fine.
Earlier the same day, a judge also accepted Lori’s husband Mossimo Giannulli’s plea deal, which means he will serve five months in prison and pay a $250,000 fine for his involvement in the college admissions scandal.
Lori and Mossimo were reportedly hoping to avoid any jail time, but hey, at least this is better than the potential 50-year sentence people speculated about in October.
August 19, 2020
It has taken a year and a half, but there may be an end in sight for Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s court battle. According to People, federal prosecutors asked a judge to sentence Lori to two months in prison and Mossimo to five months after they pleaded guilty back in May in the plot twist of the century.
Prosecutors also recommend that Lori pay a $150,000 fine and serve 100 hours of community service and her husband pay a $250,000 fine and serve 250 hours of community service.
Lori and Mossimo are set to face a judge on August 21.
May 21, 2020
Two weeks after Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, tried to claim the feds “entrapped” them, the couple had a major change of heart and flipped their whole legal strategy on its head.
Now, the couple will plead guilty to conspiracy charges in the admissions scandal. As part of that plea deal, Lori will be sentenced to two months in prison and Mossimo will be sentenced to five.
For context, prosecutors initially wanted to sentence Felicity Huffman to four months in jail but ended up cutting that down to two weeks in addition to sticking her with a fine and community service. She ultimately spent 11 days in jail and was released 3 days shy of her sentence.
May 8, 2020
The world may be self-isolating, but courts are in session and a judge just made a call that Lori won’t be happy about.
NBC reports that a federal Boston judge has refused to dismiss charges against Lori after she alleged that federal agents entrapped her and Mossimo, in the college admissions scandal.
Basically, this just means the case won’t get thrown out of court like Lori was hoping, because the judge ruled that federal agents didn’t commit misconduct.
“After consideration of the extensive briefing, affidavits, and other information provided by the government and defendants, the Court is satisfied that the government has not lied to or misled the Court,” Judge Nathanial Gorton ruled. He also said agents were just trying “to get Singer to corroborate, not fabricate, evidence.”
Probably not what Lori was hoping to hear.
April 15, 2020
Remember those awkward pics of Olivia Jade and Bella Giannulli allegedly pretending to row to trick USC into admitting them? Yeah, Lori Loughlin sources are out here saying it’s not what it looks like.
“Legally speaking, the photos are not evidence of criminal wrongdoing,” an insider told People. “They’re definitely eye-grabbing, but they are not charged with taking photos.”
“They are charged with conspiracy to commit federal program bribery as well as fraud and money laundering,” the source added. “The common denominator behind all those is money. And they didn’t realize that the money they paid was considered a bribe. At Singer’s directive, they were giving money to the school as a donation that they thought was perfectly legal. People donate to colleges and universities all the time.”
“You’ll get no argument from me that they’re not a good look,” the source said, “but they’re not some smoking gun that proves the charges against them.”
Even so, E! News sources say Olivia Jade is “extremely embarrassed” about the pics.
April 10, 2020
Lori and Mossimo motioned to dismiss their case, and in response, prosecutors finally dropped those infamous pics of Olivia Jade and Bella allegedly pretending to row to trick USC into admitting them. 😬
Take a gander:
February 27, 2020
We have a court date, folks. According to a spokesperson for the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office, Lori and Mossimo are expected to go to trial starting October 5. But don’t expect a quick verdict—a CNN legal analyst warned that a case with so many defendants will take a long time.
February 10, 2020
As Lori’s court date draws near, federal prosecutors released Olivia Jade’s alleged phony résumé that she submitted to get into USC. I don’t speak crew, but there is a lot of sports talk in there, including her alleged position and all the competitions she “participated in.”
Prosecutors redacted some personal information in the résumé, which was obtained by Page Six, but judging by the graduation date, it’s Olivia’s résumé and not her sister Bella’s.
January 21, 2020
If Lori and Mossimo don’t change their plea, their daughters, Olivia Jade and Bella, just might have to testify after all. 😬
Us Weekly got the scoop. “Lori has been told by the legal team that the United States Attorney’s Office will use her daughters as star witnesses in hopes of securing a conviction,” their source said. Apparently, Lori was “told there wasn’t [a way to avoid it] unless there was a change from not guilty to guilty.”
“Accepting a plea bargain would be the only solution.”
January 3, 2020
It’s a new year, and Lori is preparing for the worst possible outcome of her court case just in case she loses. People reports that she now has a “prison consultant,” who is educating her on table manners, social interactions, and, overall, what to expect if she does go to jail.
“She has someone who is advising her what to do in case she loses her case and goes to prison,” a source told the outlet. “The adviser is there to help her learn the ropes. That’s not to be construed that she thinks she’s going to lose her case. Lori is a planner, and she is doing what she needs to do for all contingencies.” Say it with me: yikes!
“The whole point is to have someone tell her how to keep herself safe,” the source added. “She needs to keep a low profile if she’s incarcerated. Obviously, she’s going to stand out, because of all the publicity and because she’s a star. She can’t do anything about that. But she doesn’t want to stand out because she’s so green that she does the wrong things.”
December 11, 2019
Welp, Lori Loughlin is fuming over Olivia Jade’s return to YouTube, but that was to be expected. According to Us Weekly, Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, instructed their daughter Olivia Jade to stay off social media until they figured out what their fate was at trial. Olivia did not listen!
“Lori was very clear in telling Olivia to remain quiet and not do anything controversial,” the source said. But Olivia, on the other hand, allegedly “had enough” of not being able to say her side of the story. “Olivia’s YouTube video was a big betrayal,” the source added. “And cracks in the family are starting to show.”
December 1, 2019
While Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli prepare to go to court, their daughter Olivia Jade is focused on YouTube, if you can believe.
Here’s what she said in her first video back:
“I actually really, really miss it. Like, I genuinely miss filming. I feel like a huge part of me, it’s just not the same because this is something that I’m really passionate about, it’s something I really like to do. But I also didn’t know, I debated for, like, seven or eight months, like, well, if I can’t talk about it, is there a point in coming back and not being able to say anything? I want to come back because I want to come back, there’s no point in me just talking for 10 minutes of the camera about how I wish I could say something when I really can’t, so I’m gonna leave it at that....This is the best I can do, and I want to move on with my life.”
Apparently, she couldn’t say anything about her family or the court case...but I guess we can expect her to start “influencing” again.
November 27, 2019
As Lori Loughlin prepares to take the stand, sources say she’s enlisted a whole team of lawyers to help prepare her.
“Lori has been meeting with her lawyers for days at a time,” an insider told Us Weekly. “It’s her full-time job and she is very involved with her defense. When not at her lawyer’s office, Lori is emailing and texting with the team.”
Her lawyer plays the prosecutor and starts “grilling her” in “grueling” sessions, according to the source. Still no word on what Lori’s husband, Mossimo Giannulli, is doing to prep, but TBD on whether Lori’s efforts help.
November 1, 2019
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannuli have formally pleaded not guilty to bribery in the college admissions scam.
The couple was previously warned by prosecutors that they’d face more charges if they didn’t plead guilty, but that hasn’t changed the outcome. They’re now facing around 50 years in prison if found guilty.
October 31, 2019
Happy Halloween, things just got way scary for Olivia Jade and Bella Giannulli. 🙃 People talked to a former federal prosecutor named Neama Rahmani, who says Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughters could theoretically be charged in the college scandal too.
“At a minimum, the daughters will be witnesses in a trial against their parents, but they could also be charged as defendants,” he told People.
“The government has made it clear that they are going to keep increasing pressure on both Lori and Mossimo,” Rahmani added. “By not pleading, Lori and Mossimo are exposing their children to being charged.”
Still, a Lori source isn’t on board with that. “If Lori had any indication that the girls were at risk, she’d want to plead guilty—even though she believes that she did nothing wrong. She is not going to let them spend time in jail for something that they didn’t do. Lori is a fantastic mother who would take the fall for the girls even if it cost her everything.”
October 30, 2019
As Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli wait for their next court date on January 17, things are reportedly getting rougher at home in the wake of new federal charges.
“The entire family is in chaos right now,” sources tell People. “They knew this was a possibility, but they thought perhaps it was just a bargaining tool from the prosecution. Now that the charges are official, they are realizing that there is no way to avoid a moderately long prison sentence, unless they are found not guilty in a trial.”
Still, People sources say Lori intends to fight the allegations against her and maintain her innocence.
“Does she regret not taking the deal? Of course she does, because it would have been easier,” a source added. “But taking the deal would have admitted guilt, and she believes she was duped by unscrupulous people who enriched themselves off of her. It is her position that she was not some sort of criminal mastermind.”
“She just wanted what was best for her daughters. And it has turned into an ongoing nightmare.”
October 25, 2019
That was fast: Felicity Huffman was just released from prison early after only 11 days behind bars.
She was in prison for less than two weeks. NBC News reports that her early release is “normal policy” for inmates who are set to be released on weekends. Felicity still has to perform 250 hours of community service and pay $30,000 in fines, but this marks the end of her prison time.
October 22, 2019
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli have been hit with new charges in the college admissions scandal, just hours after TMZ reported that Lori might sidestep a trial.
The Hollywood Reporter says a new indictment against 11 parents claims they allegedly “conspired to commit federal program bribery by bribing employees of the University of Southern California to facilitate their children’s admission. In exchange for the bribes, employees of the university allegedly designated the defendants’ children as athletic recruits—with little or no regard for their athletic abilities—or as members of other favored admissions categories.”
This bribery charge is a BFD and the U.S. penal code says it can land you in federal prison for 10 years. 😬
Apparently, Lori and Mossimo are understandably “terrified” by this. “They feel like this is David versus Goliath. How do you go up against the federal government, when the government has decided to make an example out of you?” a source told People. “How can you possibly move forward from this? This stress is about to break them.”
Earlier on October 22, 2019
TMZ reports that after all this, Lori Loughlin might not go to trial after all and could get a plea deal.
Okay, here’s how that’s even possible (ALLEGEDLY): TMZ’s sources say Lori got a big break because Felicity’s sentencing report says “no one suffered a loss” as a result of her actions (which, debatable). That apparently strengthens Lori’s case.
Plus, according to TMZ, Felicity’s short sentence has concerned the U.S. Attorney (who hoped she’d be behind bars for a year), so there are fears that it’ll become “an embarrassment” for the office if Lori goes to trial and gets a similarly short sentence. This is what’s making the U.S. Attorney more open to plea discussions.
October 21, 2019
USC has had enough of Olivia Jade and Bella Giannulli, it seems. The USC registrar told USA Today that the sisters officially aren’t enrolled anymore, so that’s that on that!
October 20, 2019
A new pic of Felicity Huffman in prison emerges. She began her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, just last week.
October 13, 2019
It’s official: Felicity Huffman is behind bars.
The actress reported to federal prison in California to start her 14-day sentence after admitting she paid someone to fix answers on her daughter’s SAT test, leading to a higher score.
“Ms. Huffman is prepared to serve the term of imprisonment Judge Talwani ordered as one part of the punishment she imposed for Ms. Huffman’s actions,” her rep said in a statement to NBC News. “She will begin serving the remainder of the sentence Judge Talwani imposed—one year of supervised release, with conditions including 250 hours of community service—when she is released.”
October 8, 2019
A month after Felicity was sentenced to two weeks in jail, U.S. Attorney of Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said he’s pushing for a harsher sentence for Lori. Talking to a local Boston station, he said, “We will probably ask for a higher sentence for [her] than we did for Felicity Huffman. I can’t tell you what that would be…it’s tough to tell at this point.”
The prosecutor also made sure to differentiate between both of their cases and pointed out how Felicity “was probably the least culpable of the defendants who we’ve charged in that case” and took responsibility soon after she was charged. In his opinion, she “handled it in a very classy way.”
September 13, 2019
Felicity Huffman’s court date finally arrives. After making the decision to plead guilty to mail fraud in the college admissions scandal and writing the overseeing judge a letter of leniency, it looks like the judge has some sympathy for Felicity.
Following many months of court dates, the judge has finally given Felicity an official sentence. Felicity will be serving approximately 14 days in jail for her actions. In addition to the jail time, Felicity has been ordered to pay a $30,000 fine and will be under supervised release for one year. Martin Murphy, Felicity’s attorney, has requested that Felicity serve her jail time in Dublin, California, at a correctional facility close to where she resides.
Compared to what the prosecutors originally suggested for Felicity’s sentence, Felicity is getting a huge break. Initially, the prosecutors wanted her to serve one month of jail time, have 12 years of supervised release, and pay a fine of $20,000. Lori Loughlin, by comparison, faces up to 40 years in prison for her charges for pleading not guilty.
September 9, 2019
Felicity writes a heartbreaking letter to the judge overseeing her case and asks for leniency. The letter, which was obtained by People and Entertainment Tonight, sees Felicity opening up about the college admissions scandal and how sorry she feels about her actions ahead of her sentencing on Friday, September 13:
“To my utter shame, I finally agreed to cheating on Sophia’s SAT scores and also considering doing the same thing for [my younger daughter] Georgia...but the decision haunted me terribly; I knew it was not right. I finally came to my senses and told Mr. Singer to stop the process for Georgia.
“I find motherhood bewildering. From the moment my children were born, I worried that they got me as a mother. I so desperately wanted to do it right and was so deathly afraid of doing it wrong.
“When my daughter looked at me and asked with tears streaming down her face, ‘Why didn’t you believe in me? Why didn’t you think I could do it on my own?’ I had no adequate answer for her. I could only say, ‘I am sorry. I was frightened and I was stupid.’
“In my desperation to be a good mother, I talked myself into believing that all I was doing was giving my daughter a fair shot. I see the irony in that statement now because what I have done is the opposite of fair.”
In the letter, Felicity also states that the main reason she decided to pay the $15,000 to doctor her daughter’s SAT scores is because she was worried about her daughter’s learning disabilities (which stem from sensory modulation issues):
“I honestly didn’t and don’t care about my daughter going to a prestigious college. I just wanted to give her a shot at being considered for a program where her acting talent would be the deciding factor. This sounds hollow now, but in my mind, I knew that her success or failure in theater or film wouldn’t depend on her math skills. I didn’t want my daughter to be prevented from getting a shot at auditioning and doing what she loves because she can’t do math.”
Following her guilty plea, Felicity’s attorney is requesting that she receive only one month of incarceration, a year of supervision following her release, and a $20,000 fine for her actions.
September 6, 2019
Lori and Mossimo Giannulli are on the cover of Us Weekly’s latest issue, and inside the mag, sources break down some not-so-great stuff that’s happening in the fallout of the USC admissions scandal.
According to Us, Lori is majorly regretting that she didn’t just plead guilty and take a deal like Felicity Huffman did.
“Lori regrets not doing what Felicity did,” one source said. Another source added, “Lori was inclined to take the deal, but Mossimo said it would ruin both of their careers.”
Another source said Mossimo is still convinced that “they’ve done nothing wrong.”
September 4, 2019
6 p.m.
Reports regarding Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s possible divorce might not be so true after all. The couple has apparently had a few disagreements lately, but a new outlet says that’s because of the naturally stressful nature of their back-and-forth court dates. “It’s been very stressful and the most challenging year of their lives. It’s been hard on their marriage because of all the decision making and not always seeing eye to eye. There’s been a lot of sleepless nights and rough days,” a source told E! News.
Sure, Lori and Mossimo seem to be going through it lately, but their current issues aren’t enough for them to throw in the towel. “It’s not perfect and they don’t always agree on things, but they also know that they have to stay united through this process,” the E! News source added. “They are in this together and know they have to stay strong. They support one another and are a team.”
10:38 a.m.
Bella Giannulli is reportedly super worried that her parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, are going to divorce amid the USC college admissions scandal. Things between her mom and dad have been pretty rocky lately, according to an Us Weekly source.
“Their daughter Bella is extremely concerned they’re going to get divorced,” the source said. Bella’s likely worried because Lori and Mossimo are reportedly fighting over court-related things (like flying private to court appearances) and because she still lives with them (Olivia Jade moved out in May).
Apparently, Lori’s friends are trying to talk her into filing for divorce, but sources say the good news is that she doesn’t want to—at least not right now. “Her friends think she should leave him,” a second Us Weekly source said. “But Lori refuses and says the ordeal has made them stronger.”
August 21, 2019
With a court date only a week away, Lori is reportedly feeling “remorseful” as she prepares to defend herself alongside her husband, Mossimo.
“Lori is remorseful and she has definite regrets,” a source told People. “She’s embarrassed and hurt, and she knows that her reputation has been ruined for life. But she also believes the allegations against her aren’t true.”
Okay, that might be confusing, but here’s why Lori apparently thinks she has a case: “She honestly didn’t think what she was doing was any different than donating money for a library or athletic field,” the source said. “That’s the crux of why she pleaded not guilty.”
Even though the court date is coming up quickly on August 27, the Giannulli fam is reportedly ready to get it over with.
“Lori is ready for this to be over,” said the source. “They all are. At this point, it would be better to spend a few months in jail—because she’s been spending the last several months in her own prison.”
August 12, 2019
Olivia Jade Giannulli was back on Instagram for approximately two weeks before posting the first pic of herself in *ages*, and let’s just say that it speaks volumes.
In the pic, the controversial YouTuber flips off the camera and tags a bunch of media outlets while making sure the comments were still limited.
August 9, 2019
Reports keep coming out about how Olivia Jade resents her mom, Lori Loughlin, for everything that went down.
“Olivia has forgiven her, but she still carries some resentment because she realizes that this scandal has marked her and will never entirely go away,” a source told Entertainment Tonight.
Still, the insider said the mother-daughter duo has been going to therapy and “communicating, and things have improved.”
Oh, and Olivia Jade’s probably not going back to USC—ever.
“She never wanted to attend USC to begin with, and now she is sure that USC isn’t the place for her,” they added. “Right now, her goal is to rebuild her brand and her business.”
July 29, 2019
After months of keeping mum on social media post-scandal, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughters, Bella and Olivia Jade, have returned to Instagram.
They both posted birthday wishes to their mom, with the comments limited. That means only people they follow can weigh in, and let’s be honest here, that’s for the best.
July 27, 2019
New legal documents obtained by Mercury News say that Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli will next appear in court on August 27.
July 18, 2019
While Lori Loughlin and her daughter Olivia Jade are talking and taking active steps to have a better relationship post-scandal, they’re still “far from being close again,” according to an Entertainment Tonight report. “Their family situation has improved,” a source in the report said. “Lori knows they will all grow and learn.” A second source said, “Things are better than they were....Time is helping to heal.”
June 7, 2019
Reports surface that Lori Loughlin’s law firm has represented USC in the past. Her lawyer, according to Us Weekly, allegedly wrote a letter suggesting that “[the lawyer’s] representation of Ms. Loughlin and Mr. Giannulli poses foreseeable conflicts because it is possible that USC may have civil disputes with one or both sometime in the future.” In short, this means that USC may go through with legal action against Lori and Mossimo Giannulli at a present date. Lori, naturally, sees this as USC carrying out a personal vendetta against her.
“Lori feels that USC is going to do whatever is necessary to attempt to financially ruin her family. USC accepts extremely substantial donations, which will typically result with a child from that family enrolling,” the source said. “Lori wants to expose USC’s admission practices and looks forward to her day in criminal court.”
If they do encounter future action from USC, “Lori and Mossimo will defend themselves and would anticipate a very robust and thorough discovery process of USC’s admissions and large financial donations in which a child became a student at the university,” the source explained.
May 13, 2019
Felicity Huffman went to a Boston courthouse today and reports say she “tearfully” pleaded guilty to the federal charges against her, admitting she did pay $15,000 to get her daughter Sofia Grace Macy’s SAT scores changed.
NBC says Felicity broke down in tears while speaking to the courtroom, mentioning that her daughter has been seeing a neuropsychologist since she was 8. “I just didn’t want to create the impression that the neuropsychologist had any involvement because she, like my daughter, didn’t have any knowledge of my actions, of what I had done,” Felicity said.
Prosecutors recommend that Felicity serve four months in jail.
April 29, 2019
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli submitted their not-guilty pleas in federal court in Boston along with 15 other parents accused of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering. Earlier this month, Lori and Mossimo pleaded not guilty, but now the paperwork is official.
April 16, 2019
New sources are coming forward with intel about how Lori and Mossimo got into this whole mess with alleged scam ringleader Rick Singer in the first place.
“Lori heard about Rick from a friend. Lori was told that Rick was the best,” a source told People. “He was known for being creative, but it seems Lori had no idea that he engaged in bribes and lies.”
“No idea.” Hmm. She’s definitely got a clue now.
“When Lori heard the number of years she could spend in prison, she broke down crying. The thought of being separated from her loved ones for years brought her to her knees,” a separate source added to Entertainment Tonight. “She has watched as the other families cut deals, but her husband feels they are not guilty and should plead not guilty....In the end, she trusts those who are advising her and somehow believes there is a chance she will go free.”
April 15, 2019
Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have officially pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges.
Court documents say they waived their right to appear in court again, which is why there aren’t more pics of Lori signing autographs for her fans.
April 14, 2019
Good news (but not for Lori Loughlin)! Hallmark just renewed Lori’s old show, When Calls the Heart, for another season, despite Lori being let go by the network.
The company announced the news on Instagram, and Lori's name was nowhere to be found.
April 13, 2019
Despite everything that’s happened, Lori Loughlin is reportedly still having trouble believing anything she did was wrong.
A source close to the actress told People, “It’s just taking some time for it to sink in that what she was allegedly doing could be considered illegal. To her, it wasn’t egregious behavior. Was it entitled and perhaps selfish? Perhaps. But she didn’t see it as being a legal violation.”
April 9, 2019
Lori Loughlin was just charged with even more crimes. She was initially charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud, but a new charge—money laundering—was added because of payments she made to William “Rick” Singer's fake charity.
The money sent to Singer was allegedly used to bribe athletic coaches and pay off university officials and exam proctors. It was then allegedly written off on tax forms because it was reported as a charitable donation. The original charge and this new charge both cary a maximum sentence of 20 years, so Lori could be facing up to 40 years in prison.
April 8, 2019
8:44 p.m.
USC is fully preventing Lori Loughlin's daughters from dropping out. It was previously reported that Olivia Jade and Bella wouldn't return to USC, but they're not technically allowed to drop out yet 😬. In an update to their "USC Information on College Admissions Issue" statement, the school made it clear that no one involved in the scandal is allowed to withdraw until the case is settled.
“USC has placed holds on the accounts of students who may be associated with the alleged admissions scheme,” the statement reads. “This prevents the students from registering for classes (until they have agreed to participate in the review of their case), withdrawing from the university, or acquiring transcripts while their cases are under review.”
The school is treating each student individually, so Olivia Jade and Bella's statuses will be determined by the outcome of their parents' case.
“Among many factors investigators could consider in reviewing each case are any developments in the criminal cases, including plea deals by parents," the statement reads. "Following these case-by-case reviews, we will take the proper action related to each student’s status, up to revoking admission or expulsion.”
3:12 p.m.
A month after being charged with conspiracy to commit mail and honest services fraud, Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty. In a statement obtained by People, she apologized and took responsibility for her actions but asserted that her daughter had no idea about what went on. The statement reads:
"I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office. I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.
“I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly.
“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”
April 5, 2019
Olivia Jade is apparently still in seclusion (and still pissed). “Olivia is still distraught and embarrassed," a source told People. "She hasn’t been home much. She is very angry with her parents. She would have never gone along with it if she thought this would happen. Her thing is that she trusted her parents.”
At the moment, Olivia's basically just trying to figure out WTF to do with her "brand."
“She didn’t care if she got into USC. She just wanted to focus on her business,” the source added. “She feels that she worked very hard for something that she loves, and she has no idea what will happen with her business in the future.”
April 3, 2019
The day has finally come. Lori, Felicity, and eight other parents arrived at the Boston federal courthouse to appear before U.S. District Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley.
The judge spoke to the parents one by one to lay out the charges and make sure they understood the penalties for those charges. Again, Lori seemed weirdly nonchalant about the whole thing. Videos show her smiling as she walked into the courthouse, and she waved at some fans who were screaming her name. Once inside the courthouse, she even went over to greet the prosecutors and shake their hands. *insert "THIS IS FINE" meme here.*
Sidenote: These girls are my heroes.
April 2, 2019
Lori and Mossimo landed in Boston ahead of their court hearing. When they arrived at their hotel, a crowd was waiting. A source told People that Lori “was chatty and willing to sign autographs” and also “posed for photos” with fans.
For someone who might be heading to prison, she was acting pretty damn calm.
March 20, 2019
Olivia Jade got caught complaining about school again. In a 2017 video titled “First Day of Senior Year,” she went on a roundabout rant about how she appreciates school...but also hates it.
I know that I complain about school. I mean, who actually enjoys going to school? If you do, I’m very jealous. But I also feel the need to say that, for all of us that like to complain about school, ’cause I get how much it sucks, we have to remember how lucky we are to have an education and how many people would kill to have a good education or an education at all. So, as much as I hate it…I still hate it but I’m grateful that I get to be educated, even though I hate it. You know?
Watch the awkwardness for yourself here:
March 19, 2019
A report was released that alleges Olivia Jade didn’t even fill out her own college application. According to the affidavit, Lori emailed William “Rick” Singer (the guy in charge of this whole scam) and asked for guidance on how to fill out the USC application. He then ordered an employee to fill it out and send it in for her.
March 18, 2019
1:02 p.m. ET
Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were hit with a *$500 billion* lawsuit. Jennifer Kay Toy, an Oakland school teacher, filed a lawsuit against them and dozens of others involved in the scam because she believes her son, Joshua, was put at a disadvantage. In court documents, she stated, “Joshua applied to some of the colleges where the cheating took place and did not get in. Joshua and I believed that he’d had a fair chance just like all other applicants but did not make the cut for some undisclosed reason.”
8:19 a.m. ET
These Olivia Jade videos are really aging badly. In 2017, she filmed a video with her mom in which she tried to teach Lori about slang. She explains the “England is my city” meme, to which Lori responds, “If you would’ve said ‘England is my city,’ I would say, ‘Why did I pay all this money for your education?’” CRINGE CITY.
March 16, 2019
Another Olivia Jade YouTube video was discovered in which she admits she barely went to class. In her vlog titled “My Last Day of High School,” she says, “I’m literally never at school. I think my class doesn’t even—maybe they forget I go there...just kidding!”
March 15, 2019
12:27 p.m. ET
Lori Loughlin is reportedly being fired from Fuller House because of the cheating scandal.
It’s not official-official yet, but a Deadline source said, “She’s toast, it’s over.” A TMZ insider added, “Lori is a guest star and was during the previous four seasons, and there are currently no plans for her to return to the fifth season.”
10:15 a.m. ET
Welp, just like Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman has deleted all her social media accounts.
In the days she left it live after the college scandal broke, many mocked Felicity’s old tweets, including one that ironically asked, “What are your best hacks for the back-to-school season?”
March 14, 2019
6:03 p.m. ET
According to TMZ, Lori Loughlin’s daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella will not be returning to USC after all, despite the fact that the school hasn’t made any formal public decisions about their enrollment post-admissions scandal.
The outlet says Olivia and Isabella made the call themselves—with support from mom and dad—because they’re worried they’d be “viciously bullied” otherwise.
TMZ’s sources added that they never really wanted to go to USC in the first place, but even so, Olivia “is a mess, despondent, and feeling like it’s the end of the world.”
5:00 p.m. ET
The Hallmark Channel announced that it’ll stop working with Lori Loughlin, who was a frequent star in the company’s TV movies and the series When Calls the Heart.
“We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” the company said in a statement. “We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin, including Garage Sale Mysteries, an independent third-party production.”
3:11 p.m. ET
Sephora announced that the company is scrapping Olivia Jade’s makeup products in light of the scandal.
In a statement, the company said, “After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately.”
March 13, 2019
8:45 p.m. ET
TMZ reports that Olivia Jade was on a yacht with her friends when the scandal broke. But it wasn’t just any yacht—it was the one owned by Rick Caruso, the Chairman of USC’s Board of Trustees. Yeah...not a good look. Once she heard the news, Olivia decided to end her spring break early and return home.
6:09 p.m. ET
According to a staff writer for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Lori Loughlin has been released on a $1 million bond. She’s allowed to travel back to Canada to finish her “film projects,” but she has to surrender her U.S. passport in December. Yikes!
BREAKING: Lori Loughlin was released on $1 million bond. Judge permitted her to travel to British Columbia, where she has filiming projects in Vancouver. Loughlin is on contract to film projects until November. She must surrender her U.S. passport in December.
— Jonah Valdez (@Jonahmv) March 13, 2019
12:09 p.m. ET
Loughlin is officially in FBI custody. A FBI spokeswoman told ET that Loughlin will be booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center in L.A. The actress is expected to appear before a federal magistrate (aka a JUDGE) sometime this afternoon. Yikes!
March 12, 2019
8:28 p.m ET
TMZ reports that Lori Loughlin is in Vancouver and making her way back to the U.S. FYI, her husband Mossimo had already been arrested at this point and was released on a $1 million bond.
8:09 p.m ET
TMZ reports that Felicity Huffman has been released on a $250K bond following her morning arrest (scroll down for more on that yikes-y moment). She apparently had to hand over her passport to authorities.
5:34 p.m. ET
James Van Der Beek tweets the perfect response after learning that the FBI named their operation “Operation Varsity Blues.”
If only there was a succinct turn of phrase these kids could have used to inform their parents they were not desirous of their life path... https://t.co/cxOTDI5J1B
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) March 12, 2019
Circa 4:00 p.m. ET
The internet realizes that Lori has deleted her Instagram:
12:39 p.m ET
People unearths footage of Lori’s influencer daughter Olivia Jade saying she doesn’t care about going to class, which, woof, is not a great look:
I don’t know how much of school I’m gonna attend, but I’m gonna go in and talk to my deans and everyone and hope that I can try and balance it all. But I do want the experience of, like, game days, partying…I don’t really care about school, as you guys all know.
Olivia later apologized, saying, “I said something super ignorant and stupid, basically. And it totally came across that I’m not grateful for college—I’m going to a really nice school. And it just kind of made it seem like I don’t care, I just want to brush it off. I’m just gonna be successful at YouTube and not have to worry about school. I watch it back and I read the comments, and I’m just really disappointed in myself.”
10:13 a.m ET
NBC and The Hollywood Reporter report that Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are among 40 people charged with conspiracy to commit mail and honest services fraud thanks to allegedly scheming to get their kids into university.
The scam involved paying millions of dollars to a man in California who runs a “business” helping students cheat on standardized tests and get falsely recruited as athletes. Huffman used the service for her eldest daughter, and TMZ reports that she made a “charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme,” which ensured her daughter was given “twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students and the paid proctor agreed to secretly correct her answers afterward.”
Meanwhile, Loughlin and her husband allegedly “agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team—despite the fact that they did not participate in crew—thereby facilitating their admission to USC.”
9:00 a.m. ET
Felicity Huffman is arrested at her Hollywood Hills home after 7 FBI agents—according to TMZ—“show up at her door Tuesday morning with guns drawn.”
Felicity, her husband William H. Macy, and their two daughters were sleeping at the time (it was only 6 a.m. on the West Coast), but here they are awake and on the red carpet in 2014 before Felicity was an alleged criminal!!!!
August 24, 2016
Felicity Huffman posts the below tweet. Let’s just say it’ll come back to haunt her.
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