Olivia Jade wants to set the record straight about the "rumors" she's read all over the Internet in the wake of the 2019 college admissions scandal.
During the latest episode of her podcast, Conversations with Olivia Jade, the 22-year-old opened up about what she describes as being "big misconceptions" surrounding her work ethic, while also explaining that she recognizes her privilege and upbringing.
Olivia's parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, made headlines in 2019 after the couple was indicted for allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes to have Olivia and her older sister Bella admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits to the school's rowing team, even though they are not athletes.
"I am super aware that I've been given opportunities because of my parents and that I live a very blessed and fortunate and privileged life," she shared during the Jan. 3 episode. "But then there's also a part of me that feels... it's tricky. It's hard to speak on because I know that to the average human, I have it easy."
And yet, she continued, she's no stranger to putting in the effort. "There is a big misconception about me, I feel at least personally, where I get that comment of, 'You don't work hard,'" she explained. "But I didn't have to start my YouTube when I was 14. I did put in a lot of work. There's all these rumors floating around about my grades, 'She clearly didn't work hard. She must have failed school.' I don't even think I've ever said this publicly, but in high school I had straight A's and I worked really hard at school."
Olivia's latest comment comes almost two months after she and her sister expressed support of their parents for the first time since the 2019 scandal.
Both Lori and Mossimo have since faced time in prison for their involvement. In late 2020, the Fuller House star spent less than two months behind bars, while Mossimo completed his five-month sentence in April 2021.
"I'm not trying to justify or excuse behavior or throw a pity party," Olivia said during the November episode of her podcast. "I think, for me, even though I also was getting dragged negatively, it like, didn't nearly affect me as much as like, seeing Mom getting, first of all, having all of this thrown on her. And I think that we can talk about it. I think I want to talk about this. She really took this whole thing on her back, solely."
Since then, the family has slowly gotten back in the groove of their careers, with Lori appearing in a Hallmark series and Olivia dancing her way to an eighth place finish during the most recent season of Dancing With the Stars.
"I never went on the show saying, 'This is my redemption story,'" she said during a November episode of E!'s Daily Pop. "I think that this is just kind of what it's become and that's what the narrative has been. I've just been riding it, but I didn't go in thinking, 'Oh I have to redeem myself so I'm doing this show.' I just got the offer."