Lori Loughlin Returning To Acting, Will Reprise 'When Calls The Heart' Character Following College Admissions Scandal
More than a year after being embroiled in scandal, Lori Loughlin is ready to return to acting. The embattled actress is set to reprise her beloved Abigail Stanton character from When Calls the Heart on season 2 of the spinoff, When Hope Calls.
Loughlin was last seen on TV as Abigail from the Hallmark Channel series in season six before she got the boot for her involvement in the headline-making college admissions scandal — which saw Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannuli both serve time in prison, as well as pay a total of $400,000 in fines.
When Hope Calls — which reportedly films in Canada — is coming back on new network GAC Family, which launched on Monday, September 27, after season one aired on Hallmark Channel’s streaming service Hallmark Movies Now. The two-part premiere, titled When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas, is slated to debut on Saturday, December 18.
Bill Abbott, President & CEO of GAC Media, confirmed on Tuesday, September 28, that the Full House alum is guest starring in the network's original series.
Speculation surrounding the 57-year-old's return to TV came after it was reported last week that she was granted permission to travel to Canada from late September to early October for “a filming production project."
Aside from Loughlin previously being let go of When Calls the Heart, she also exited Netflix's Fuller House amid the college admissions scandal.
- Hallmark’s ‘When Calls The Heart’ Returns Without Lori Loughlin Amid College Bribery Scandal
- Lori Loughlin 'Upset' With John Stamos for Claiming They Hooked Up: 'It’s Left Her Feeling Like She Was Used for a Punchline'
- Lori Loughlin Declares 'No One Is Perfect' After College Admissions Scandal: 'We All Make Mistakes'
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Meanwhile, Loughlin isn't the only one going back to work following her family drama, as daughter Olivia Jade is currently starring on ABC's Dancing With the Stars.
It seems the family is looking for a do-over after the famous parents pleaded guilty last May to paying $500,000 to get their two daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Giannulli, into the University of Southern California on the crew team — although neither child ever played the sport.
Loughlin and Giannuli originally pleaded not guilty after they were arrested last March, but ultimately accepted a plea deal. The mother-of-two was released from prison last December after serving only two months in prison at The Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif. (Felicity Huffman also served her time, which was a total of 11 days, at the Dublin Institution for her involvement in the bribery scandal.)
Giannulli, 58, was released from prison in April — two weeks early to community confinement — after he arrived at prison in November.
Following their imprisonment, the actress and fashion designer decided to treat themselves to a Palm Desert vacation residence, with the two paying a whopping $13 million for the luxurious estate in the coveted Madison Club community.
