Hallmark Channel cut ties with Lori Loughlin in March 2019 after she was indicted for her role in the nationwide college admissions scandal, but two years later, some fans still want Abigail back in Hope Valley.
The actress played coal mine widow Abigail Stanton for six seasons on the Hallmark series. Two days after Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli were accused of paying bribes totaling $500,000 to ensure their daughters’ admissions into the University of Southern California, the network announced all of the Full House alum’s projects had been scrapped.
“We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” Crown Media Family Networks said in a statement to Us Weekly in March 2019. “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.”
After extending its hiatus to evaluate “all creative options” regarding Loughlin’s character, When Calls the Heart returned in May 2019.
During the episode, it was revealed by Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) that Abigail left the town to help her sick mom.
“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,” Elizabeth said. “Abigail is much more than a friend, she’s family. I will miss her and Cody deeply — we all will, but we must get by as best we can. In her absence, we must soldier on and we will. We are a community, we are strong, we are Hope Valley.”
Loughlin pleaded guilty to fraud charges in May 2020 and was sentenced to two months in jail, two years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $150,000 fine.
“I thought I was acting out of love for my children, but in reality, I had only undermined and diminished my daughters’ abilities and accomplishments,” she said through tears at her virtual hearing in August 2020. “While I wish I could go back and do things differently, I can only take responsibility and move forward. I have great faith in God and I believe in redemption and I will do everything in my power to redeem myself and use this experience as a catalyst to do good and give back for the rest of my life.”
Us confirmed in November 2020 that both Loughlin and Giannulli paid their respective fines for their roles in the scandal in “full.” A month later, the Summerland alum was released from prison after serving her two-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. Us broke the news earlier this month that Loughlin had completed her 100 hours of community service.
For more hot celebrity news, listen to Us Weekly editors dish on top topics & trends with these clips from the Hot Hollywood Podcast!
Sources have previously told Us that Loughlin would like to return to acting post-scandal. Felicity Huffman, who was served 11 days of her two-week sentence in 2019 for paying to boost her daughter’s SAT scores, was cast in an ABC pilot in December 2020.
Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
Could Loughlin’s comeback include another stint in Hope Valley? Scroll through for everything we know:
