On March 12, 2019, beloved Full House actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, an American fashion designer, allegedly paid over $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, through admissions at the University of Southern California.
Actress Lori Loughlin (C) and her daughters Isabella Rose (L) and Olivia Jade Giannulli (R) attend the Hallmark Channel And Hallmark Movies And Mysteries 2017 Summer TCA Tour at on July 27, 2017, in Beverly Hills, California
Though historically their actions and statements point towards a conservative mindset, Loughlin and Giannulli’s involvement in the College Admissions Scandal puts into question their actual political beliefs.
This article discusses the details of the scandal, their level of involvement, and assumptions about their political beliefs based on their actions.
The College Admissions Scandal
The College Admissions Scandal was organized by William ‘Rick’ Singer, who helped students get admitted to some of America’s top universities through bribery and cheating.
Singer fabricated test scores and athletic credentials in order to help students get into their dream universities. The only thing he required in return was bribes from the student’s affluent parents.
Lori Loughlin during Target Hosts LA Fashion Week Party for Designer Mossimo Giannulli at Area in Los Angeles, California, United States, on October 19, 2006
Because Loughlin and Giannulli were the most famous parents involved, they became the face of the College Admissions Scandal.
However, there were over 50 other affluent parents also involved including Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman as well as Douglas Hodge and Gamal Aziz.
Prosecutors suggest that Giannulli was the more involved parent in the scheme, though Loughlin was complicit with the decisions being made. She even paid to have professional photos taken of her daughters that were then photoshopped onto athletic images.
The outcome of the College Admissions Scandal
On August 21, 2020, Loughlin was sentenced to a two-month stint in prison due to her involvement in the College Admissions Scandal.
Her husband, Giannulli, will also serve a five-month stint in prison for his involvement in the scandal. Both Loughlin and Giannulli must begin their prison sentences by November 9, 2020.
Olivia Jade Giannulli shows off her feet in embellished denim heels
Loughlin is asked to pay a fine of $150,000 in addition to serving a two year supervised release, in which she will be required to donate 100 hours of her time to community service. Her husband also owes $250,000 and 200 hours of community service time.
“I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process,” Loughlin said during the sentencing hearing.
Lori Loughlin attends Disney’s ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ World Premiere at the Dolby Theatre on November 29, 2018, in Hollywood, California
“In doing so I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass. I thought I was acting out of love for my children. But in reality, it only undermined and diminished my daughters’ abilities and accomplishments.”
Political Findings from the College Admissions Scandal
People speculate that throughout the scandal, over $950,000 of donations were sent to politicians. Though donating to political organizations is perfectly legal, many speculate that the donations were connected to the scandal with over half of the donations given to Democratic politicians.
While many donations were funneled to the left, a handful of donations were given to representatives of the Republican party. The person who consistently donated to the right was Mossimo Giannulli.
What is Loughlin’s Political Affiliation?
Some sources say that a drunk Giannulli was gloating his support of Donald Trump at a party that happened just weeks prior to the scandal coming to light.
Giannulli supposedly made a comment about people being entitled and needing to carry their own weight, according to a tweet by Tom Arnold. Some believe that Giannulli’s support of Trump would lead to Loughlin also sharing conservative political opinions.
Roseanne Barr’s ex-husband Tom Arnold tweets about meeting Mossimo Giannulli
Sources unrelated to the College Admissions Scandal have also pointed to Loughlin’s historically conservative attitudes. In 2016, Loughlin spoke out in support of Full House co-star Candace Cameron Bure, who shared her conservative opinions on an episode of The View.
Loughlin praised Bure for the “graceful” manner in which she conducts herself on The View, despite the historically liberal agenda pushed on the talk show.
When commenting on the situation, Loughlin stated, “Especially when you know going into that you might be the target, as in the past it seems to have happened to other hosts on that show. But again, I think Candace is very special in the way that she handles herself, and I think she really comes out on top.”
Actors Andrea Barber, Candace Cameron Bure, Lori Loughlin, John Stamos, Caitlin McHugh, Bob Saget, and Kelly Rizzo attend the 2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 8, 2018, in Los Angeles, California
Though unconfirmed, Giannulli’s alleged comments about Trump, his donations to Republican politicians, and Loughlin’s support of Bure in 2016 suggest that they still maintain a conservative point of view, despite the hypocrisy of their actions during the College Admissions Scandal.
When I was a kid, I used to watch ‘Full House’. That was how I got to know Lori Loughlin. Her stint as ‘Debbie Wilson’ on 90210 was short-lived (2009-2011), but one thing that struck me was how young she still looked despite the passing years. It was like she was able to put the hands of time on slow motion.
In October 2013, Lori showed how to wear a blazer with a scarf in West Hollywood. It was hard to miss her because apart from looking ageless, she was decked in shots of bright orange. Her outfit was very coordinated.
Lori Loughlin decked in bright orange and a pink printed scarf while out shopping in Los Angeles on October 22, 2013
She had on some baggy jeans that she folded up and paired with a bright orange blazer and an equally bright pair of orange sneakers.
On top of that, she accessorized her look with sunnies and a printed pink scarf. The style was very tomboy chic mixed with a little bit of preppy drama.
Lori Loughlin pairs a bright orange blazer with equally bright sneakers
A pretty cool mix, don’t you think? It certainly is a great idea for an outfit.
The scarf was a nice touch. Somehow, it made her appear more polished. I also like how she chose a different color to break up all the orange. It would’ve been overkill if she went with a coral hue for the neck-warmer. The pink was just perfect.
Would you like to copy Lori’s look? Adding color to an outfit is the quickest way to brighten it up. Accessorize with a scarf in a contrasting hue and you get yourself a failsafe combination to achieving effortlessly chic style.
Here are a few sets we put together using some really affordable merchandise from ModCloth:
Takes Two to Tangerine Blazer, $50 / Jump for Joy Sneakers, $40 / Head, Shoulders, Keys, and Toes Scarf, $10
Tangerine blazer with scarf and sneakers
Fine & Sandy Blazer, $60 / Ballroom Glancing Pumps, $33 / Nice Things Are Looking Uphill Scarf, $57
Green blazer with high heels pumps and scarf
Show Your Skills Blazer, $65 / Kickball or Nothing Sneakers, $60 / Blutsgeschwister Sew This is Love Scarf, $45
Red blazer with green scarf and sneakers
Credit: Owen Beiny / WENN / Adriana M. Barraza / FayesVision / Dimitri Halkidis / Sheri Determan