College admissions scandal: Sephora cuts ties with Loughlin daughter Olivia Jade
Princeton Review editor-in-chief Rob Franek discusses with FOX Business’ Gerri Willis the college admissions scandal and the potential lawsuits universities could be facing.
Beauty chain Sephora ended its partnership with Olivia Jade Giannulli on Thursday, just days after her parents, along with more than 40 others, were charged in an alleged scheme to get their children into leading colleges and universities through deception and bribes.
"After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately,” a Sephora spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business.
The makeup products Giannulli – a social media "influencer" who uses the name Olivia Jade – was associated with through her partnership with Sephora were no longer featured on the company website as of Thursday afternoon.
"It remains to be seen how long this scandal will last or if it will blow over, but it doesn’t matter. The damage is done," Bruce Turkel, a branding expert and CEO of Turkel Brands, told FOX Business in an email. "[Olivia] Jade has lost a deal with Sephora and that will forever hang over her head."
The move comes after a prominent couple and parents, “Full House” star Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were named in the widespread college admissions bribery scheme. In an effort to help get their daughters accepted into the University of Southern California, Loughlin and Giannulli were accused of paying bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as crew team recruits, even though they did not participate in the sport, according to court documents. Loughlin and her husband were taken into custody and later released on Wednesday, each posting a $1 million bond.
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Olivia Jade, who has more than 3 million followers on her YouTube and Instagram accounts combined, received criticism after posting a Q&A video in August 2018 where she said she was attending school more for the social aspect, and wasn’t as concerned about learning.
"I don't know how much of school I'm going to attend," she said in the video. "But I do want the experience of, like, game days, partying. I don't really care about school, as you guys all know."
The social media star earns an estimated $2,800 to $4,700 per post, according to an Instagram influencer earnings calculator on InfluencerMarketingHub, which calculates the figures based on a user’s 12 most recent posts.
"The good thing about social media is that it potentially reaches everyone and lives forever," Turkel said. "The bad thing about social media is that it potentially reaches everyone and lives forever. Every time somebody looks up or researches Olivia Jade, this scandal will be at the top of her social media post file. It doesn’t matter what social media network is used, this is what she will be known for."