Lori Loughlin announces first acting role since college admissions scandal

Lori Loughlin is returning to acting two and a half years after the college admissions scandal sent her to prison, Deadline reports.

The “Full House” actor will guest star on the second season of the “When Calls the Heart” spinoff “When Hope Calls,” reprising her former role as Abigail Stanton from the Hallmark Channel series.

Loughlin last appeared as Stanton in season 6 of “When Calls the Heart.” She was released from her roles on it and Netflix’s remake “Fuller House” in 2019 after word got out about her attempts to pay off a California university to enroll her daughters.

Loughlin was found guilty of one count of conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud in relation to the scheme. She was released from federal prison in December after serving a two-month sentence. She remains on probation in addition to paying a fine of $150,000 and performing 100 hours of community service.

Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, was sentenced to five months for his role in the plot.

Loughlin’s appearance in the two-part Season 2 premiere titled “When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas,” set to premiere on Dec. 18, will be her first public appearance since the scandal, notes Fox News.

Loughlin’s daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli, whom the actor tried to fraudulently get admitted to the University of Southern California, is currently participating on ABC’s hit series “Dancing With the Stars.”

“On paper, it’s bad. It’s really bad,” Giannulli previously said of the scandal. “But I think what a lot of people don’t know is that my parents just came from a place of just, ‘I love my kids, I just want to help my kids. Whatever is best for them.'”