We previously reported that the former Full House star Lori Loughlin has separated from her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli after 28 years of marriage. This came five years after each of them served prison time for their respective roles in the infamous college admissions scandal.
Against all odds, Loughlin has managed to overcome this scandal and heartbreak to reclaim the wholesome image that she once had with a highly-anticipated return to Hallmark.
Loughlin, 61, is currently preparing to reprise her role as Abigail Stanton in Hallmark’s When Calls The Heart. This comes after a seven year hiatus in the wake of her college admissions scandal.
Experts are now speaking out to predict that Loughlin might just be able to make a full comeback to Hallmark.
Experts Weigh In
“Cancel culture has eased up in recent years and, depending on the offense, audiences have become much more forgiving,” Steve Honig, founder of The Honig Company, told Fox News. “More and more we are seeing celebrities weather storms and bounce back. There is also some truth to the old adage that time heals all wounds, and Loughlin has been off-the-grid for some time now.”
“Loughlin’s return to her original roots is a smart move on her part, and fortunate for her that her previous employer is willing to have her back,” the PR expert continued. “She was very well-established in her genre and going back to it will reinforce her pre-scandal image and help ingratiate her with her core audience. Her bread and butter is wholesome family entertainment and that’s her ace in the hole. She needs to stick to what she knows and where she has a successful history.”
America Loves A ‘Comeback Story’
Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, was quick to agree. He explained that Loughlin is someone who audiences can still relate to.
“We are a nation based on second chances,” Eldridge stated. “We love the comeback story and we’ve always embraced the underdog. Loughlin fits both roles.”
“She was caught, convicted, and spent two months in jail,” he added. “Most Americans turn on the news and see rampant insider trading in the halls of Congress, or violent criminals walking the streets due to cashless bail. Yet, here was a woman who did everything possible to give her children a competitive advantage, and she was paraded around and made an example of.”
Eldridge went on to emphasize that this doesn’t make what Loughlin did “any less wrong.” However, it’s also all about perception.
“From a public relations standpoint, once the initial dust settled, the average American could relate to her actions,” Eldridge said. “Granted, they couldn’t afford a half-million-dollar bribe like she did, but the desire for our children to do better than we did is a common thread in American society. Empathy goes a long way.”
“Second chances and underdogs are making a comeback,” he concluded.
Loughlin’s History
Loughlin and her then-husband Giannulli, 62, made headlines back in 2019 when they were indicted for allegedly paying $500,000 to have their daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli’s admitted to the University of Southern California as members of the crew team. They did this despite the fact that neither daughter had ever taken part in crew.
Though they initially fought the allegations against them, they finally gave in after a media firestorm that lasted for month. In May of 2020, Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded guilty to wire and mail fraud.
Loughlin was ultimately sentenced to two months in prison, serving out her sentence from October to December of 2020. Meanwhile, Giannulli was sentenced to five months behind bars. He began his sentence in November of 2020 and was released to home confinement in April of 2021.
It was announced in October and this year that Loughlin and Giannulli were splitting after 25 years of marriage. Afterwards, a source close to the couple claimed that their was “strong” before the college admissions scandal. Unfortunately for the former couple, however, the controversy changed everything for them both personally and professionally.
“Their marriage was very strong before the [expletive] hit the fan with the college admissions scandal. That totally derailed it,” the insider told Daily Mail. “His sales suffered. She lost Hallmark. They blamed each other, but he blamed her more.”
They Were ‘Living Separate Lives’
Another source claimed that Loughlin and Giannulli had been “living separate lives” for quite some time.
“They really have been living separate lives for a long time,” this source said. “After the scandal, they hunkered down, but it just was clearly borrowed time. Something died with that embarrassment. They were pretty strong before it. But that was the worst thing that could have happened to them both.”
We certainly don’t support what Loughlin did. However, she’s also done her time, and it can be argued that Loughlin deserves a second chance.
When Calls The Heart season 13 premieres on Hallmark on January 4. If you’re curious to see how it goes for Loughlin, be sure to check it out!