Hallmark Has Cut Ties With Lori Loughlin Amid College Cheating Scandal

Hallmark won’t be working with Lori Loughlin any longer after the college admissions scam

The consequences have been pouring in for Lori Loughlin, who took part in a wide-reaching college admissions scam that hit the news this week. The actress was arrested for allegedly bribing her two daughters’ way into USC, is currently facing felony charges, and was just dropped by her frequent employer Hallmark.

Loughlin has been a regular face on Hallmark, starring in the TV movies Garage Sale Mystery and the series When Calls The Heart. The channel released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter explaining that they are cutting ties with the actress in light of the recent scandal and her alleged involvement. They’re also pulling When Calls The Heart from their upcoming programming.

“We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” the company said. “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.”

Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli paid $500,000 worth of bribes to get their two daughters into USC, according to NBC News. The FBI recorded a call between Loughlin and a witness, which documented the actress saying that she would take a picture of her daughter Olivia in front of a rowing machine in order to trick the admissions staff into thinking she was a high school athlete on the crew team.

Olivia is also feeling the sweeping blowback of her parents’ actions. The 19-year-old, who is a popular social media influencer on both Instagram and YouTube, is losing business from some of her big-name clients.

After the news broke, Sephora told Buzzfeed News that “after careful review of recent developments, [they] have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade.” TRESemmé also released a statement saying that they will no longer be partnering with the teen. A spokesperson for the Estée Lauder Company said that they don’t have plans to work with her in the future.

Olivia’s since turned off comments on her Instagram posts as the trolls descend, but they remain open on this post from when she first started school — and her sponsorship with Amazon’s Prime Student.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn17xhEA4H_/?utm_source=ig_embed

Both Olivia and her sister Isabella were enrolled at USC, though their status as students is currently in question. Reports are beginning to emerge that they’ve both dropped out.

“USC is conducting a case-by-case review for current students and graduates that may be connected to the scheme alleged by the government and will make informed decisions as those reviews are completed,” a USC spokesperson told CBS News.

Loughlin isn’t the only well-known celebrity embroiled in this scam. Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy gave $15,000 to a company that would help boost their daughter’s SAT score. Other parents involved paid between $200,000 and $6.5 million (!!!!) to make sure their kids got into the elite college of their choosing.

“Their actions were, without a doubt, insidious, selfish and shameful,” John Bonavolonta, FBI special agent in charge of the case, said. Yup, amen to all that.