Lori Loughlin Returns to TV for First Time Since College Admissions Scandal

Lori Loughlin is back in Brookfield! The actress returned to television over the weekend to reprise her When Calls the Heart character, Abigail Stanton, in the GAC Family's When Hope Calls Saturday. In the two-part premiere, When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas, Abigail returns to the cozy town of Brookfield with adopted son Cody (Carter Ryan) to help the city be named America's #1 Country Christmas Town. 

Loughlin also reunited with When Calls the Heart co-star Daniel Lissing, who plays Jack Thornton. Fans might remember Jack was killed in battle during When Calls the Heart's Season 5 finale, which happened shortly after Lissing announced he would be leaving the series. However, Jack returned in a dream sequence alongside Abigail to give her a message to pass on to his wife, Elizabeth, who was played by Erin Krakow on When Calls the Heart.

Loughlin's return to television comes after her exit from the Hallmark Channel's When Calls the Heart following Season 6. The network announced it would not be working with the actress in March 2019 following her arrest in the college admissions scandal alongside husband Mossimo Giannulli. The couple eventually pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining daughter Olivia Jade's admission into college, and were sentenced to two and five months of prison, respectively, as well as a collective $400,000 fine and 350 hours of community service. Loughlin was released from prison in December 2020 after serving her sentence. 

Celebrating her mother's return to TV, Olivia Jade took to her Instagram Story to show her support. Sharing a still from the episode of the Full House actress exiting a train, the Dancing With the Stars alum wrote, "Yaaaaa baby SHE BACK ON THE BIG SCREEN for all u hearties out there!" She later shared a behind-the-scenes selfie of her mother, who doesn't have an Instagram of her own, writing, "Mom doesn't have Instagram so I've made the decision that I will be taking it upon myself to promote for her because I love her and she is a wonderful woman and actress. That's all! Tune in weeeeeee."