Lori Loughlin Let Go By Hallmark Channel After College Admissions Cheating Scam Arrest
Days after news broke of a widespread college admissions cheating scandal that allegedly involved actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, Variety reports that Hallmark Channel has cut ties with Loughlin, who currently stars on the channel’s hit series When Calls the Heart. This could be considered another huge blow to Loughlin’s public image and career, especially considering Loughlin has had a close working relationship with the Hallmark Channel for a number of years.
In a statement on Hallmark Channel parting ways with Loughlin, parent company Hallmark commented, “We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations. We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin including Garage Sale Mysteries, an independent third party production.”
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At the time of Loughlin’s surrender to FBI while filming in Canada, and as noted by her IMDb page, she was working on one of four Garage Sale Mysteries TV movies. The popular series of TV movies, which has been around since 2013, follows Jennifer Shannon (Loughlin), an amateur detective who works alongside a professional detective to solve mysteries that usually come from intriguing garage sale or consignment store finds and the people that run them. In addition to her role on When Calls the Heart, the Garage Sale Mysteries series was Loughlin’s main acting gig following the news in January that Fuller House would end its run on Netflix with its fifth season.
Loughlin has not released a statement on Hallmark Channel’s decision, just as she has yet to release a statement on her arrest or alleged involvement in the college admissions cheating scam case.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Huffman and Loughlin were two of approximately 50 parents and coaches involved in a long-running scam that, in part, allowed wealthy parents to either pay bribes to ensure their children were admitted to elite universities like Yale, USC, Georgetown, UCLA and Stanford. According to the FBI’s affidavit, Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly paid a $500,000 bribe so that their daughters, YouTube influencer Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli, could be admitted to USC by claiming they were rowers and would join USC’s crew team. Prosecutors argue neither Olivia nor Isabella are actually rowers.
Loughlin’s bail has been set at $1 million and she will be required to appear in federal court in Boston on March 29. Outside of this, it’s unclear what Loughlin’s future, personally and professionally, holds.
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