Lori Loughlin returning to TV in first role since college admissions scandal
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
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Lori Loughlin returns to TV in first role since college admissions scandal (NCD)
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Actress Lori Loughlin will return to the small screen in December for the first time since serving a two-month prison sentence for her role in the 2019 college admissions scandal.
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Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years Here are some memorable moments from actress Lori Loughlin's life in the public eye. (Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 1982: Lori Loughlin promotional photo for the ABC TV soap opera "The Edge of Night." (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years Circa 1985: American actress Lori Loughlin and her brother, Roy Loughlin, attend a party for Felice Schachter at Studio 54 in New York City circa 1985. (Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 1989: Jodie Sweetin, Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron, Bob Saget, John Stamos, Mary-Kate Olsen / Ashley Olsen and Lori Loughlin appear in a season three promotional photo for the ABC TV series "Full House" on August 8, 1989. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 1991: Lori Loughlin and John Stamos from "Full House." (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 1995: Actress Lori Loughlin during an interview with host Jay Leno on October 25, 1995. (Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 1998: Mossimo Giannulli and Lori Loughlin attend ninth annual Fire and Ice Ball Benefit Gala at Universal Studios in Universal City, California, on December 9, 1998. (Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 1999: American actress, model and producer Lori Loughlin, pregnant with her daughter Olivia Jade, and American fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli attend the premiere of "Love Stinks" at Mann Festival Theater in Westwood, California, on August 11, 1999. (Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2000: Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo at the Carousel of Hope 2000 gala to benefit the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, 2000. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2004: Actors Reba McEntire (left) and Lori Loughlin pose at The WB Network's 2004 All Star Summer Party at the Pacific Design Center on July 14, 2004, in West Hollywood, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2018: Actors Jodi Sweetin, Lori Loughlin and Candace Cameron-Bure pose for portrait at the 2018 Hallmark Channel Summer TCA at a private residence on July 26, 2018, in Beverly Hills, California. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2006: Actors Bob Saget, Lori Loughlin and John Stamos attend the "Jake in Progress" Season Premiere Party at the Belmont on January 9, 2006, in Los Angeles. (Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2007: Actress Lori Loughlin (right) and her family arrive to the world premiere of Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" held at the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort on August 14, 2007, in Anaheim, California. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2009: Comedian Bob Saget, producer Lori Loughlin, actor John Stamos, actress Candice Bure and Jeff Franklin pose during induction ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 16, 2009, in Hollywood, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2010: Actress Lori Loughlin arrives at the Hollywood Foreign Press Associationand & InStyle's Miss Golden Globe 2011 introduction on December 9, 2010, in West Hollywood, California. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2011: Lori Loughlin and Mossimo attend Paul Frank's celebration of Fashion's Night Out at ADBD Gallery on September 8, 2011, in Los Angeles. (Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for ADBD)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2012: Actress Lori Loughlin (center) arrives at Relativity Media's "Mirror Mirror" Los Angeles premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on March 17, 2012, in Hollywood, California. (Todd Williamson/Getty Images For Relativity Media)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2013: Stacy Keibler, host Jimmy Fallon, John Stamos of Jesse and the Rippers and Lori Loughlin visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" at Rockefeller Center on July 19, 2013, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2014: Actress Lori Loughlin attends Michael Kors Launch of Claiborne Swanson Frank's "Young Hollywood" on October 2, 2014, in Beverly Hills, California. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2015: Actress Lori Loughlin attends the LACMA 50th Anniversary Gala sponsored by Christie's at LACMA on April 18, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for LACMA)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2016: Actor John Stamos (left) and actress Lori Loughlin attend the 2016 TV Land Icon Awards at the Barker Hangar on April 10, 2016, in Santa Monica, California. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for TV Land)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2017: Isabella Giannulli, Lori Loughlin and Olivia Giannulli attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2005: Actresses Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Lori Loughlin arrive at the 32nd Annual Crystal Ball October 19, 2005, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles. (Phil McCarten/Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2019: Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Gifford, Meghan Trainor and Lori Loughlin on Thursday, February 14, 2019. (Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Photos: Lori Loughlin through the years 2019: Lori Loughlin exits the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse after appearing in Federal Court to answer charges stemming from college admissions scandal on April 3, 2019, in Boston. (Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
Bill Abbott, president and CEO of GAC Media, on Tuesday announced that Loughlin will guest star in “When Hope Calls” on GAC Family. The show is a spinoff of the Hallmark Channel series “When Calls the Heart,” CNN reported. Loughlin, 57, will reprise her role as Abigail Stanton in the original series.
The two-part “When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas” is set to premiere Dec. 18. The show centers around the western town of Brookfield as it competes in a magazine’s search for America’s No. 1 Country Christmas Town.
The Hallmark Channel parted ways with Loughlin in 2019, days after she was arrested on conspiracy charges in part of a large-scale college bribery admissions scam that also led to the arrests of her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, and “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman, according to The Associated Press. Loughlin served two months in jail for paying a half-million dollars in bribes to get her daughters into the University of Southern California. She was released from prison in December.
The sixth season of “When Calls the Heart” was pulled from air after the scandal broke and returned with Loughlin edited out of the remaining episodes, Entertainment Weekly reported. Her absence was explained by Stanton leaving to care for her ill mother, according to USA Today.
In February 2020, the first season of “When Hope Calls” debuted with an average of two million viewers.
