Lori Loughlin Dropped From Hallmark Channel Following College Bribery Scandal

The fallout for actress Lori Loughlin has come swiftly in the wake of her being charged for participating in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. After being released on a $1 million bond, the former “Full House” actress has now been dropped from the Hallmark Channel where she had become a popular staple every Christmas.

According to Fox News, Crown Media, parent company for the Hallmark Channel, confirmed that Lori Loughlin will no longer be a talent on the channel. Her series, “When Calls the Heart,” will also not be airing this coming Sunday.

“We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” Crown Media said in a statement to the outlet. “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. We are evaluating all creative options related to ‘When Calls the Heart’ series.”

Earlier this week, actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman (of “Desperate Housewives” fame) were charged for participating in a massive college admissions bribery scheme that the FBI code-named “Operation Varsity Blues.” The scheme was designed to entice college administrators, coaches, and other university gatekeepers into admitting their children. The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti reported on Tuesday:

In all, 33 parents — including Loughlin and Huffman — allegedly paid a collective sum of $25 million to a college admissions counselor named William Singer, according to ABC News, who then “bribed college officials, coaches and college entrance exam administrators, who then helped students secure admissions” not on their merits but through fraud. The FBI contends that Singer’s bribes went to officials at some of the most elite colleges in the country.

A representative for Loughlin reportedly told Fox News that they “have no information to share.” She and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have been accused of “agreeing to pay $500,000 in bribes to have their two daughters designated as recruits for the University of Southern California crew team,” according to the Fox News report.

The career fallout for actress Felicity Huffman and her husband William H. Macy, who has not been charged, has yet to take shape. The Daily Wire’s Ashe Schow reported on Wednesday that the FBI showed up to arrest her with guns drawn — a force that some believed to have been excessive for a non-violent crime committed by a middle-aged Hollywood actress:

The Times reported that “a source familiar with the incident” claims Huffman opened her door to FBI agents ready to arrest her with guns drawn. She was handcuffed and taken into federal custody, where she remained for several hours and was then released on $250,000 bail.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told the Times that “a tactical team” was not used to arrest Huffman, “But all FBI agents are armed and may draw their weapons as a precautionary measured based on the circumstances during the execution of any warrant.”

If the source is correct, and at least some of the FBI agents there to arrest Huffman had drawn their guns, what was the “precautionary measure based on the circumstances” that required such force to be used on a middle-aged actress?

Hollywood screenwriter/director David Mamet defended both Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on Tuesday, arguing that they allowed their zeal as parents to get the better of their judgment.

“I’ve known Felicity Huffman for those 35 years, she was my student, my colleague, worked in many of my films, and created roles on stage in three of my plays,” wrote Mamet in an open letter. “That a parent’s zeal for her children’s future may have overcome her better judgment for a moment is not only unfortunate, it is, I know we parents would agree, a universal phenomenon.”