LORI STAGES A COME BACK!
She’s ready for her close-up. For the first time since serving two months in prison for conspiracy charges related to the college admissions scandal dubbed Operation
Varsity Blues by the FBI, Lori Loughlin hit the red carpet in support of friend Holly Robinson Peete’s Hollyrod Foundation on June 18 in LA. Two days later, Lori, 57, stepped out
again to fête 57-year-old Holly’s induction on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “When she arrived at both events, people seemed genuinely happy to see her,” says a source. “It made Lori so happy.”
Not all of Hollywood has welcomed Lori back with open arms. Since she and husband Mossimo Giannulli, 59, were accused in 2019 of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters into USC, the actress has been all but canceled. “She’s felt like a pariah in a town that once respected her,” notes the source. “But Holly is one of the few pals who stood by her — and she’s helping Lori dip her toe back into show business with these recent appearances. Lori knows that what she did was wrong, but Hollywood is full of comeback stories, and she’s hoping for her own.”
HALLMARK MOMENT
Her release from a federal prison in Dublin, Calif., was already a year and a half ago. “She still has nightmares about it,” says the source. “Lori learned a huge lesson, and now she’s trying to move on.”
There have been small wins. Though Hallmark dropped her from When Calls the Heart in 2019 after five years, they brought Lori back last December for two episodes of its spinoff series, When Hope Calls. “She’s grateful to Hallmark and appreciates the work, but she’d love to get more offers,” the source shares. “She believes that time does heal everything and hopes more producers will give her a second chance.”