News over actress Lori Loughlin and her involvement in the much-publicized 2019 college admissions scandal, particularly now with her recent release from prison, has continued to make headlines and stir up public discussions. With Loughlin’s release at the completion of her two-month sentence, actress Janet Hubert took to Twitter to voice a bit of displeasure.
On Monday, Dec. 28, Hubert wrote a tweet after it made the news that Loughlin had officially completed her jail sentence, tweeting, “So when white actresses commit crimes they get new shows, pilots, etc. Lori Loughlin …I assume, will get an Emmy for her time in prison. Hmmmm…oh to be white, blond, and privileged! No thanks I would rather be bold, black, and dignified!”
The tweet was well received, getting over 16,000 likes and over 300 comments, many of which agreed with Hubert’s insinuation that race played a significant part in how Loughlin was treated.
“I guess her ‘apology’ is a bonus to the privilege,” one user wrote. “Although, black people been apologizing for nothing for years and still get treated less than or get the horrific treatment within this political and justice system.”
Another commenter disagreed, writing, “To be fair black celebs have come out of prison and gone on to have successful careers i.e. Lil’ Kim, Lauren Hill, Wesley Snipes, James Brown, Remy Ma… I’m sure I could go on.” Hubert responded, saying, “Wesley did some real time she went to the prison day spa. They all did more than this lady, I would say nothing but for her arrogance and denial, and her daughter posting she didn’t even want to go to college.”
That daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, appeared on Jada Pinkett Smith’s show “Red Table Talk” to give her side of the story, including to share about endorsement deals she lost over the scandal. Smith’s mother and co-host Adrienne Banfield-Norris, a.k.a Gammy, was vocal about her disgust over the whole affair, and Giannulli’s attempt at a mea culpa didn’t lessen Banfield-Norris’ disapproval over what she felt was her unearned entitlement.
She discussed the episode on the “Keep It” podcast and noted that she felt that Giannulli was being more than a little willingly obtuse, according to ET Canada.
“I felt like as a 21-year-old young adult, that she needed to be way more aware of what’s going on in the world, and that was a little frustrating,” she explained.
“I heard people make comments, like, ‘Well, kids don’t watch the news.’ Please,” she added. “The news on TV is not the only place where you understand what’s going on with the world and if you think that then you’re old! Because young people are not relying on the news — my generation is not relying on the news. I’m on my phone, on social media all the time.”
Banfield-Norris admitted that for someone with Giannulli’s background, it’s easy for her to remain unconcerned with the issues occurring outside her bubble.
“Her life experiences have not put her in the space where she needs to be concerned about those kinds of things, really,” she added. “I don’t really know how to address that because it is about how you’re raised and what you’re exposed to.”
