Bittersweet memories. Lori Loughlin previously told Us Weekly that she had a “real family” on the set of Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart.
“I love everyone I work with. We have a real family,” the Full House alum, 54, gushed to Us in February 2018 ahead of the series’ season 5 premiere. “There are many levels to it that make you happy … I love the fact that its the same cast and crew and we get together and it’s like a family. I feel very blessed.”
She continued, “And nowadays … things come and go so quickly. You do two episodes and then they pull you because you don’t have a high enough rating or something. I feel like the fact that this show has resonated with people and keeps growing … [has] been really wonderful.”
Hallmark Network announced on Thursday, March 14, that it would be cutting all ties with Loughlin following her alleged involvement in what’s been dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. “We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” Crown Media Family Networks said in a statement. “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. The series will not air on Sunday, March 17. We are evaluating all creative options related to When Calls the Heart series.”
The Summerland alum has played Abigail Stanton on When Call the Heart since it premiered in 2014. She has also starred in all 15 Garage Sale Mystery films and appeared in four Hallmark original movies.
Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly “agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew — thereby facilitating their admission to USC,” according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
The pair’s children, Bella, 20, and Olivia, 19, both currently attend the University of Southern California, but their status at the university is currently up in the air.
“We are going to conduct a case-by-case review for current students and graduates that may be connected to the scheme alleged by the government,” USC Media Relations told Us in a statement. “We will make informed, appropriate decisions once those reviews have been completed. Some of these individuals may have been minors at the time of their application process.”
Olivia, a popular YouTube star, was aboard USC’s Board of Trustees Chairman Rick Caruso’s private yacht in the Bahamas when the news of the indictment broke. She has since lost her partnership with Sephora as a result of her parents’ alleged involvement in the scheme, which involved nearly 50 people.
Giannulli, 55, was arrested on Tuesday, March 12, while Loughlin was taken into custody the following day. The duo appeared before a federal judge and were each released on a $1 million bond.
Actress Felicity Huffman was also arrested on Tuesday in alleged connection with the educational scandal on Tuesday. The Cake actress, 56, allegedly “made a purported charitable contribution of $15,000 … to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scandal on behalf of her eldest daughter,” Sofia, 18, and “later made arrangements to pursue the scheme for a second time” for her younger daughter, Georgia, 16, but opted “not to do so.”
Huffman — who is married to Shameless actor William H. Macy — was reportedly met at her Los Angeles home by several armed FBI agents and taken into custody. The Desperate Housewives alum had her hearing and was later released on a $250,000 bond.
With reporting by Stephanie Webber
