Fans Are Going Off Online After First Clip of Lori Loughlin in 'When Hope Calls' Emerges

Fans Are Going Off Online After First Clip of Lori Loughlin in 'When Hope Calls' Emerges
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Nearly a month after Deadline broke the news that Lori Loughlin would be returning to TV, the internet is now getting a glimpse of the actress for the first time since the college admissions scandal.

On Tuesday, Entertainment Tonight shared a clip of Lori reprising her When Calls the Heart role as Abigail Stanton alongside actor Carter Ryan, who plays her character's adoptive son, Cody. In the short scene from season 2 of When Hope Calls, Abigail and Cody gaze up at a giant Christmas tree in the middle of the town square. Cody thanks Abigail for helping raise him and his sister, Rebecca (Ali Skovbye), and Abigail embraces her son and says, "nothing has made me happier than being your mom."

It's a short moment, but one that is getting attention on social media. The opinions are predictably divided — many seem to welcome Abigail and Cody's characters back to the world of When Calls the Heart, while others are not thrilled to see Lori back after her dealings in the Operation Varsity Blues investigation were revealed.

Back in 2019, Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to college admissions scammer William "Rick" Singer to help get their daughters Bella and Olivia Jade into the University of Southern California. Ultimately, Lori was sentenced to two months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service. Mossimo was sentenced to five months, 250 hours of community service and given a $250,000 fine. Lori and Mossimo were among nearly 50 people charged in the nationwide college admissions conspiracy.

After Lori and Mossimo's charges were made public, the actress was reportedly let go from Netflix, where she was playing Aunt Becky in the Full House reboot Fuller House, and the Hallmark Channel while appearing as Abigail in season 6 of When Calls the Heart. In a statement released to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Hallmark made it clear that the network doesn't currently have plans to resume its working relationship with Lori.

"Hallmark Channel has not cast Lori Loughlin in any current projects, including When Calls the Heart, nor do we have any plans to cast her in the future," the statement read. "She was cast by GAC Family, a wholly separate cable network not affiliated with Hallmark Channel or Crown Media Family Networks."

That said, When Calls the Heart star Erin Krakow told Good Housekeeping this spring that Lori is a "forever friend" and that she "would be so happy to see her back in Hope Valley sooner than later."

For now though, it appears season 2 of When Hope Calls is the only project on Lori's plate, which premieres December 18 on GAC Family.

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