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Here’s What the Kids of the College Admissions Scandal Are Saying
By Michele Ruiz
March 14, 2019
The kids of the salacious college admissions scandal masterminded by William “Rick” Singer are beginning to speak out on the FBI bust that led to their parents’ arrests—and their comments range from remorseful apologies to . . . smoking blunts while promoting their rap albums.
To that outrageous end, Malcolm Abbott, the aspiring rapper son of New York food and beverage distribution executive Gregory Abbott and his wife, Marcia—both charged in Operation Varsity Blues for allegedly paying $125,000 to boost their daughter’s SAT and ACT scores—was flippant about the controversy outside his Manhattan apartment on Wednesday.
“They’re blowing this whole thing out of proportion,” Malcolm Abbott told the New York Post, while puffing on what the newspaper did indeed call “a giant blunt.“ “I believe everyone has a right to go to college, man.” Malcolm—whose rap name is “Billa”—punctuated the point by promoting his latest album: “Check out my CD, ‘Cheese and Crackers.’ ”
Jack Buckingham, the son of Los Angeles marketing executive and author of The Modern Girl’s Guide to Life Jane Buckingham, was a bit more contrite in responding to his mother’s felony indictment for allegedly paying $50,000 for an ACT proctor to take the test on his behalf in July 2018—and referenced the deep, long-standing inequity the scandal brought to light. Jack told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: “I have been advised not to speak on the matter at hand but what I will say is this . . . I know there are millions of kids out there both wealthy and less fortunate who grind their ass off just to have a shot at the college of their dreams. I am upset that I was unknowingly involved in a large scheme that helps give kids who may not work as hard as others an advantage over those who truly deserve those spots.”
Jack’s sister, Lilia, tweeted a nebulous “Thank u for your support” on Wednesday; according to the Operation Varsity Blues indictment, Jane Buckingham also allegedly weighed paying to cheat on Lilia’s ACT, noting her daughter is “not a great test taker.”
The question still remains: How much did the “kids”—in some cases 18-year-old high school seniors and legal adults—know about their parents’ alleged cheating on their behalf? (Cut to all of us who took an active, leading role in our own college admissions process rolling our eyes at the sheer privilege right now.) “It remains to be seen if we charge any students,” a U.S. Attorney has said. But it’s hard to imagine that Olivia Jade Giannulli, the influencer daughter of the felony-charged Full House actress Lori Loughlin and designer Mossimo Giannulli, didn’t know something was amiss when she was asked to pose atop a rowing machine (her parents’ alleged attempt to pass her off as an athletic recruit) . . . and she did not row competitively and was not on the crew team.
Olivia Jade Giannulli, a 19-year-old USC student and vlogger who is one of the more notable children in the scheme, has yet to comment, but the breaking news of the FBI bust reportedly derailed her spring break activity: sailing in the Bahamas aboard the yacht of Rick Caruso, the chairman of USC’s Board of Trustees.
SIDE NOTE:
Here is the rapping, blunt smoking son named Malcolm
Excuse me, I meant “Billa”...
By Michele Ruiz
March 14, 2019
The kids of the salacious college admissions scandal masterminded by William “Rick” Singer are beginning to speak out on the FBI bust that led to their parents’ arrests—and their comments range from remorseful apologies to . . . smoking blunts while promoting their rap albums.
To that outrageous end, Malcolm Abbott, the aspiring rapper son of New York food and beverage distribution executive Gregory Abbott and his wife, Marcia—both charged in Operation Varsity Blues for allegedly paying $125,000 to boost their daughter’s SAT and ACT scores—was flippant about the controversy outside his Manhattan apartment on Wednesday.
“They’re blowing this whole thing out of proportion,” Malcolm Abbott told the New York Post, while puffing on what the newspaper did indeed call “a giant blunt.“ “I believe everyone has a right to go to college, man.” Malcolm—whose rap name is “Billa”—punctuated the point by promoting his latest album: “Check out my CD, ‘Cheese and Crackers.’ ”
Jack Buckingham, the son of Los Angeles marketing executive and author of The Modern Girl’s Guide to Life Jane Buckingham, was a bit more contrite in responding to his mother’s felony indictment for allegedly paying $50,000 for an ACT proctor to take the test on his behalf in July 2018—and referenced the deep, long-standing inequity the scandal brought to light. Jack told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: “I have been advised not to speak on the matter at hand but what I will say is this . . . I know there are millions of kids out there both wealthy and less fortunate who grind their ass off just to have a shot at the college of their dreams. I am upset that I was unknowingly involved in a large scheme that helps give kids who may not work as hard as others an advantage over those who truly deserve those spots.”
Jack’s sister, Lilia, tweeted a nebulous “Thank u for your support” on Wednesday; according to the Operation Varsity Blues indictment, Jane Buckingham also allegedly weighed paying to cheat on Lilia’s ACT, noting her daughter is “not a great test taker.”
The question still remains: How much did the “kids”—in some cases 18-year-old high school seniors and legal adults—know about their parents’ alleged cheating on their behalf? (Cut to all of us who took an active, leading role in our own college admissions process rolling our eyes at the sheer privilege right now.) “It remains to be seen if we charge any students,” a U.S. Attorney has said. But it’s hard to imagine that Olivia Jade Giannulli, the influencer daughter of the felony-charged Full House actress Lori Loughlin and designer Mossimo Giannulli, didn’t know something was amiss when she was asked to pose atop a rowing machine (her parents’ alleged attempt to pass her off as an athletic recruit) . . . and she did not row competitively and was not on the crew team.
Olivia Jade Giannulli, a 19-year-old USC student and vlogger who is one of the more notable children in the scheme, has yet to comment, but the breaking news of the FBI bust reportedly derailed her spring break activity: sailing in the Bahamas aboard the yacht of Rick Caruso, the chairman of USC’s Board of Trustees.
SIDE NOTE:
Here is the rapping, blunt smoking son named Malcolm
Excuse me, I meant “Billa”...
