When Calls the Heart Episode Pulled at Hallmark After Lori Loughlin Firing
Hallmark Channel has opted to pull the March 17 episode of When Calls the Heart from its lineup, in the wake of star Lori Loughlin‘s ongoing legal trouble.
“We are no longer airing the episode on March 17, but we are not cancelling the show,” a representative for Crown Media, Hallmark’s parent company, told our sister site Variety. “The show is one of our best performers in the Sunday night slot, and were are exploring all sorts of creative options moving forward.”
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Crown Media also announced on Thursday that it has fully severed ties with Loughlin and has halted development of all projects that involved the actress, including the third-party production Garage Sale Mysteries.
Some background: Loughlin turned herself over to authorities on March 13 after being indicted for allegedly taking part in a large scheme involving parents who paid bribes of up to $6 million to get their kids into elite universities, including Yale and Georgetown. Loughlin, her husband Mossimo Giannulli and dozens of other parents — including Desperate Housewives alumna Felicity Huffman — allegedly bribed college entrance-exam administrators to allow cheating on the tests and university athletic coaches to designate school applicants as athletic recruits, regardless of their athletic ability or experience playing a sport.
Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly paid a total of $500,000 so that their two daughters would be designated as recruits to the University of Southern California’s crew team, though neither girl participated in the sport. Loughlin was released from custody on $1 million bail, with a judge ruling that she could travel for work as long as she informs the court where she’s going and how long she’ll be away.
The embattled actress portrays coal mine widow Abigail Stanton on When Calls the Heart, which is in the midst of its sixth season. The pulled installment, titled “Heart of a Mountie,” would have found Abigail and Erin Krakow’s Elizabeth surprised by the early arrival of a new Mountie in Hope Valley.
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