Lori Loughlin: ‘Fuller House’ Producers Want to Shield Actress’ Arrest Drama From Child Stars

Lori Loughlin has allegedly been cut from Fuller House’s fifth (and final) season, and producers are doing all they can to keep the scandal from affecting their young stars.

A source close the Netflix Original Series’ production told PEOPLE that those on-set are trying to make sure that Loughlin’s exit and federal indictment is not a huge issue.

“There is a concerted effort to protect the kids on the show from all this news,” the source said. “Lori isn’t on every episode, but there is a lot of affection on the set. She is great with the kids, and they all love her. So almost every other adult, both cast and crew, I have reached out to [the kids] to make sure that they are okay. There’s a group text, and everyone is calling each other. It’s not really gossip, it’s more trying to come to terms with it. No one saw this coming with her.”

Authorities have accused Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, of making a $500,000 payment that was used to mislead University of Southern California admission officials. It was made to look like the pair’s daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, were joining the university’s rowing team, ensuring them admission to the elite school. However, the siblings had never competed in any sort of rowing competition and had no plans to do so.

After the couple was charged for their alleged roles in the plot, Loughlin’s role was cut from the final season of Fuller House.

“Fuller House is not currently in production. Lori is a guest star and was during the previous seasons, and there are currently no plans for her to return to the 5th season,” a production source told TMZ on Thursday.

The actress was also cut from several Hallmark Channel projects, including her series of Garage Sale Mysteries movies and the TV series When Calls the Heart.

“We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations. 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,” Crown Media Family Networks said in a statement Thursday.

Loughlin has not publicly addressed the allegations or her firings from Fuller House and Hallmark Channel.

Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/Netflix