Isabella “Bella” Giannulli deactivated her Instagram page on Wednesday on the heels of her parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, being charged with paying $500,000 in bribes to get Bella and her sister Olivia Jade admitted to the University of Southern California.
The “Full House” actress and her fashion designer husband allegedly paid the bribes to get their children admitted as recruits for the crew team, even though neither of them rows. The pair were part of a widespread elite college admission scheme that involved 33 parents allegedly bribing entrance exam administrators along with varsity coaches and administrators to get their children into their colleges of choice.
Rumors have been swirling that Bella, 20, and Olivia Jade, 19, have since chosen to withdraw from USC over the backlash to their parents being charged in the scheme. However, the school issued a statement indicating that it has “placed holds on the accounts of students who may be associated with the alleged admissions scheme,” which “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.”
Olivia Jade, who had achieved her own level of fame on social media with her more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube, lost endorsement deals with Sephora and TRESemme as well as her clothing line with the online retailer Princess Polly.
Olivia Jade has reportedly not been speaking to her parents and is staying with her boyfriend in Malibu, according to Us Weekly. Unlike her sister, Olivia Jade has not deleted her Instagram account, but has not posted since her parents were charged.
On Monday, Loughlin and her husband pled not guilty to the two charges against them and waived the right to appear in Boston federal court for their arraignment.