Hearties are rejoicing this morning with the news that Loughlin will reprise her role as Abigail Stanton, her popular character from the Hallmark Channel series When Calls the Heart, when spin-off series When Hope Calls returns for season 2 in December. The series will air on GAC Family, the newly launched network previously known as Great American Country. The two-part season 2 premiere titled When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas will air Saturday, Dec. 18. Fans have been on an emotional roller coaster as they wondered whether Hallmark would welcome Loughlin back into the family after Loughlin was indicted in the high-profile college admissions scandal. Hearties breathed a sigh of relief when their favorite show, When Calls the Heart, returned in May 2019 after its unexpected hiatus. Season 6 of the show was pulled off the air and remaining episodes sent back to the editing room in March 2019. Some feared Hallmark would cancel the series. But Hallmark did not scrap its most popular series and they did a pretty darn convincing job explaining Abigail’s absence. In the opening scene, Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) is writing in her journal about Abigail. It turns out Abigail’s mother had fallen ill and Abigail rushed out of town with Cody to take care of her ailing mother. I had guessed that Abigail would leave town, but in my mind it was to care for Cody’s aunt, where Cody’s sister Becky is currently staying. I must admit though, my fantasy would have been for Abigail to run off with Henry Gowen (Martin Cummins) thus fulfilling my #Henrigail dreams. With Cody tagging along with Abigail, young actor Carter Ryan Evancic, who played Cody, lost his job too. We were hoping to see him pop up in other Hallmark movies but haven’t yet. We were worried about his friend Robert (Jaiven Natt) too, but he managed to stick around for season 7. Since Abigail left and wasn’t killed off, it definitely left the door wide open for her to return to When Calls the Heart if and when her legal woes were behind her. Apparently that that future is now! In the two years that have passed since Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli were indicted, the couple has worked to move on from the scandal. In May 2020, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and Giannulli to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. Loughlin paid a $150,00 fine and served two months in prison. She was released in December 2020. Giannulli paid a $250,000 fine and served a five-month sentence. He was released in April 2021. Both will be under supervised release and be required to perform 100 and 250 hours of community service, respectively. Loughlin sparked speculation that she could be returning to work two weeks ago when the Mercury News reported that a federal judge had given her permission to travel to Canada to work on an unnamed “filming production project.”
How was Lori Loughlin involved in the college admissions scandal?
Loughlin and her husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, were arrested and indicted on charges that they paid $500,000 in bribes with regard to getting their daughters admitted to the University of Southern California on an athletic scholarship as rowing recruits (a sport they did not participate in). Loughlin, Giannulli and over 50 others were charged with crimes in relation to the scandal.
Is Lori Loughlin in jail?
Lori Loughlin completed her two-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin in northern California. FCI, Dublin is a low-security federal prison for female inmates in Dublin, California. She was released Dec. 28, 2020.
How did When Calls the Heart explain Abigail’s absence from Hope Valley?
The exit of her character was a simple one—Abigail’s mother fell ill and Abigail left Hope Valley (with her adopted son, Cody) to head back east to take care of her. This left the door open for her character’s return.
Is Lori Loughlin returning to When Calls the Heart?
At this point, it looks like Lori Loughlin is concentrating on putting her life back together. For two months, she was registered as Federal Prisoner #77827-112 at FCI, Dublin and was released Dec. 28, 2020. Returning home will probably be a bit of an adjustment. We doubt she will be in the upcoming season 8, which began airing Feb. 21. Production had already wrapped by the time Loughlin was released from prison.
Does Lori Loughlin want to return to acting?
Apparently, yes! Lori Loughlin was absent entirely from seasons 7 and 8 of When Calls the Heart. But she did get the ball rolling on a return at some point. On Feb. 10, 2021, she petitioned the court for the return of her passport—something she would definitely need if she planned to do any Hallmark shows as most are filmed in Canada. Her motion was approved. The federal government had been holding Loughlin’s passport since March 27, 2019.
Do the Hearties and Hallmark Channel fans want Lori Loughlin to return?
I spoke to several Hearties and it seems that a majority of the fans seem to want Loughlin back on the show. “She made some poor choices. It doesn’t negate all the good she has done and the kind person she is. I would welcome her back with open arms,” said one Heartie. “I personally would love to see her back—forgiveness is key,” said another. Brian Bird, a producer on the show, is affectionately known to the Hearties as a pot-stirrer as he loves to get fans riled up and excited about the show. Bird said in interview with Kurt Manwaring, “Abigail Stanton’s story has always been an important part of the Hope Valley journey. Some of the fans have asked what will happen to Abigail’s character, and shared their opinion that Hope Valley should be an example of forgiveness and grace. As Lori’s friend, I could not agree more, and Hope Valley will always be a place of second chances. However, in the real world, having a heart of forgiveness does not mean that justice can be ignored.” He said on a podcast, “You know I’ve been praying for the best outcome possible for her and her family. Not just the most merciful one, but the most just one as well.” He went on to talk about the personal journeys we are all on, before he added, “We all make mistakes.” He also added, “We all make decisions that are not the best decisions.” The show is about “second chances” so keep your fingers crossed, Hearties!
If Lori Loughlin returns to the show, would this mean the #Henrigail ship is ready to set sail again?
“All signs point to yes” —Magic 8 Ball. This Heartie certainly hopes so! Hearties that know me know that I have been shipping Abigail and Henry since Season 1. I even mentioned it to Loughlin in an interview during the early days of the show. Henry Gowen (played by Martin Cummins), the oft-misunderstood and go-to reprobate on the show, has a soft spot for Abigail and she seemed to be the only person he listened to and was willing to change for. It appeared a possible romance was finally burgeoning between the two when Abigail left to care for her ill mother. This fan would love to one day see all the scenes between Henry and Abigail that were cut from season 6 t0 see if my hunch was right!
Do When Calls the Heart producers and cast want Lori Loughlin to return?
Erin Krakow, who plays Elizabeth Thornton on the show, has always been supportive of Lori Loughlin. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight back when the scandal broke, Krakow called Loughlin her “best friend.” In an Instagram post on Loughlin’s birthday this year, Krakow wished her “forever friend” a happy birthday. Erin Krakow reinforced her support at the end of 2020 when she Lori Loughlin in her #TopNine2020 tweet. Bird also stirred up hopes that Loughlin will return when he retweeted this: Elizabeth said it best in her journal when she wrote, “We are a community. We are strong. We are Hope Valley” and the Hearties agree.
