Dancing with the Stars is only days away from returning for its milestone 30th season on ABC, and the new cast of celebrities is already sparking debate. Olivia Jade, daughter of former Fuller House star Lori Loughlin, is one of the stars who will be dancing, but there are some who doubt that she should appear on the show. Jade is arguably best known for being caught up in the college admissions scandal that resulted in both Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli going to prison, so does she belong on the same stage as Brian Austin Green, Melora Hardin, and JoJo Siwa? DWTS host Tyra Banks has thoughts.
Olivia Jade's casting generated controversy from critics who argued that she's not enough of a "star" for the cast of Dancing with the Stars. And there is some truth to the fact that the 21-year-old is more widely known beyond the internet community because her name was part of Lori Loughlin's scandal to get her and her sister into the University of Southern California. Described as a "social media star" in ABC's announcement of the new DWTS cast, she's arguably the most divisive upcoming dancer. Tyra Banks weighed in on whether Jade belongs on DWTS, telling ET:
I think Olivia is so brave. I think people don't know her, they know what happened to her. She has said that she did not know about what was going on and it's really sad, and it's very hurtful when something publicly happens but you had nothing to do with it, and you didn't know. So I trust that she says she didn't know.
While Olivia Jade may have her detractors when it comes to her casting on Dancing with the Stars, host Tyra Banks evidently isn't one of them! And as Banks noted, Jade has said that she didn't know that her parents paid large sums in bribes to get her and her sister into USC via the crew team even though neither of the young women were rowers, and she wasn't implicated. So perhaps DWTS will help Jade reshape her image and become known for something larger than the scandal. Besides, it's not like she's the only controversial figure to ever be added as a DWTS star. I haven't forgotten Sean Spicer and his bright yellow shirt or the cat-themed Carole Baskin yet!
Olivia Jade already opened up to share what her mom thinks about her joining Dancing with the Stars, making it clear that she has supporters within her family. Still, she's not the kind of celebrity who would have made it on the show in years past before social media rose to create influencers. So, while she may not be as recognizable to the general public as actors like Brian Austin Green and Melora Hardin, former Spice Girl Melanie C, or Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, she does have an audience. Tyra Banks shared her perspective on Jade as a star:
I think she's coming to Dancing With the Stars to be able to tell her story and show her vulnerability. And is she a celebrity? Not traditionally, but what is a celebrity today? If that's the case then there's no Instagram influencer that is a celebrity. We are in a whole different world and celebrity has taken a turn and a change. If people are talking about you, you're famous.
People certainly have been talking about Olivia Jade over the years since the college admissions scandal news broke! In fact, she even felt she had to call out HBO Max's Gossip Girl reboot when a character claimed Jade gained followers after her mom went to jail. In the coming weeks, maybe she'll be the topic of conversation for reasons tied to her dance moves rather than any kind of infamy for the Lori Loughlin scandal or doubts about her status as a star.
For Dancing with the Stars Season 30, Olivia Jade will compete against country singer Jimmie Allen, former Spice Girl Melanie C, Bling Empire's Christine Chiu, Beverly Hills, 90210's Brian Austin Green, The Office's Melora Hardin, former Bachelor Matt James, The Talk's Amanda Kloots, Cobra Kai's Martin Kove, Olympian Suni Lee, WWE Superstar Mike Mizanin, The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kenya Moore, Peloton star instructor Cody Rigsby, pro basketball player Iman Shumpert, and singer JoJo Siwa, who will make DWTS history. See how all of these celebs deliver as dancers when Dancing with the Stars returns to ABC on Monday, September 20 at 8 p.m. ET as part of the fall TV premiere schedule.
