Here's How 'When Calls the Heart' Handled Lori Loughlin's Exit
Lori Loughlin was dropped from When Calls the Heart after her alleged involvement in the college admissions scandal.
The network took a brief break to cut her out of the show.
When it returned in May 2019, star Erin Krakow's character Elizabeth explained Lori's absence with a lengthy message.
Lori Loughlin was a major player on the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart for nearly five years. Lori’s character, Abigail Stanton, was a staple in the fictional town of Hope Valley, often lending sage advice to Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) and the rest of the charming residents. But in March 2019, everything came crashing down.
Catch me up: What’s going on with Lori Loughlin?
Lori and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were among 50 people who were charged in a massive college admissions scam, which alleged parents, coaches, counselors, and more cheated to get children into college. According to People, Lori and Mossimo are currently facing claims they paid $500,000 to have their daughters Bella, 20, and Olivia, 19, accepted into USC as recruits to the crew team. The couple plead not guilty in April, and are still in the midst of an ongoing legal battle.
But her upcoming trial and sentencing-she could reportedly face up to 20 years in prison if convicted-isn’t the only repercussion Lori has to face. Amid the drama, Hallmark dropped the actress from her ongoing series and movies, meaning her time on WCTH had come to an end, despite the fact that season 6 had just started airing.
So, what did they do with Abigail Stanton?
The period drama took a brief hiatus to retool, and finally returned in May. The network decided to remove any trace of Lori from the new episodes, and claimed that Abigail was away taking care of her ill mother. Her on-screen son, Cody (Carter Ryan Evancic) was also removed from the current storyline. Here’s the exact words WCTH used to explain their absences:
“We never know how life will turn. It’s been a week since Abigail got word that her mother had taken ill back east. True to her nature, Abigail wasted no time in rushing off to care for her. Abigail is much more than a friend. She’s family. And I will miss her and Cody deeply. We all will. But we must get by as best we can. Bill has taken over some of the responsibilities in the café. Clara, as busy as she is, has agreed to help out when she can. We all keep Abigail and her family in our prayers and wish her godspeed. In her absence, we must soldier on. And we will. We are a community. We are strong. We are Hope Valley.”
Will she ever be back?
It’s hard to tell if Hallmark will ever allow Lori back on screen, but the cast support and vague exit definitely keep a lot of options open. Since Abigail wasn’t technically killed off, anything could happen should the scandal blow over. Still, we doubt that Lori will be present when WCTH returns for season 7.
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