Lori Loughlin returned to network TV on Friday in an episode of the final season of CBS’ “Blue Bloods.”
She reprised her role as Grace Edwards, the wife of a police officer killed in the line of duty who pleaded with Tom Selleck’s character, police chief Frank Reagan, to not let her son join the force.
Loughlin’s “Blue Bloods” role is the latest in a steady stream of work for the actress who was one of the biggest names associated with the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal in 2019.
Publicist and Hollywood insider Nadja Atwal told Fox News Digital when it comes to Loughlin, “most people feel she paid her dues as she got prison time.”
She continued, “Like Martha Stewart, she has actually the opportunity to turn her tragic conviction and its punishment into good PR for her and could become, as a result, even more successful than before.”
“The old saying goes that ‘There is no bad press.’ She gets accolades for how wonderful she is to work with on set, and I believe directors and producers recognize having a seasoned, professional actor on set is an asset,” Kathy Fielder, CEO at THRIVE by Kathy Fielder, told Fox News Digital of Loughlin’s network return.
The “Full House” star, along with “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman and other prominent parents, were charged to varying degrees with paying college consultant Rick Singer to bribe and lie to athletic departments and alter test results on exams.
In 2020, Loughlin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud after paying $500,000 to get her daughters with husband Mossimo Giannulli, Isabella and Olivia Jade, into the University of Southern California by using false athletic profiles.
She served two months in prison, completed 150 hours of community service and paid a $150,000 fine after her guilty plea.
Her husband was sentenced to five months in jail, 250 hours of community service and a $250,000 fine.
The only public comments Loughlin and Giannulli made at the time came at their sentencing hearings.
Loughlin told the judge her actions “helped exacerbate existing inequalities in society,” and she pledged to do everything in her power to use her experience as a “catalyst to do good.”
LORI LOUGHLIN, MOSSIMO GIANNULLI SENTENCED IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL CASE
When the scandal first broke, Loughlin was appearing on two different shows, Netflix’s “Fuller House” and Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital at the time, a representative for Crown Media, the umbrella group that includes the Hallmark Channel, said, “We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations. 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’s last “Garage Sale Mysteries” film, “Garage Sale Mysteries: Searched & Seized,” aired on Hallmark in October, the same month she began serving her prison sentence.
Following her release from prison, the actress made her first return to acting in the “When the Heart Calls” spin off, “When Hope Calls.”
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She reprised her character from the original series in the season two premiere, which aired on Great American Family.
After another two-year break, Loughlin starred in two films for the Great American Family, “Fall Into Winter” and “Blessings of Christmas,” both of which aired in 2023.
Throughout that time, Loughlin remained quiet about the scandal that had impacted her career and family.
However, in March of this year, she made an unexpected appearance in the final season of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
In the episode, she played a heightened version of herself opposite series creator and star Larry David, asking him to sponsor her at the country club where he plays golf, since she is blackballed from other locations due to the admissions scandal.
David gets her approved, but then notices that Loughlin cheats on the golf course, lies about needing a golf cart and flirts to get better tee times.
Jeff Schaffer, executive producer of “Curb,” told The Hollywood Reporter that Loughlin was willing to make fun of herself on the show after he and David pitched the idea.
“We had a lot of ideas we wanted to do, but we asked Lori first,” Schaffer told the outlet. “We pitched the general concept of: ‘You get into the club, and then we find out how ultra-competitive you are, and how you’re willing to bend the rules or break them.’ And then once she agreed, we really started hammering out the details of the script. This time, we finally learned our lesson. We didn’t want to go write the entire episode, and then have to throw it away.”
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He continued, saying of Loughlin, “It’s great to be able to laugh at yourself. It’s a great way to put the past behind you.
“I hope it helps her career. She was great, and she should work. She was really funny and wonderful to work with. People should see, ‘Oh, she’s really funny. She’s great in this stuff.’ So yeah, I hope she does get to work because she deserves to.”
Fielder said, “She appears to be changing the trajectory of her career by taking serious roles, as well as some comedic playful character roles also, making fun of herself in the process. She is beginning to show a diverse portfolio and range.”
A month later, Loughlin gave one of her first big interviews, when she addressed the topic of the scandal.
Speaking to First For Women, she said, “Every day, we’re met with different obstacles. But, for me, it’s like that song says, ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again.’ Nobody said life was going to be a breeze; we all make mistakes, but the important thing is to persevere.”
LORI LOUGHLIN MAKES FIRST RED CARPET APPEARANCE SINCE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL
The 60-year-old did not directly address the college admissions scandal but did speak about forgiveness.
“Actually, I try to be a forgiving person. I’m not one to hold onto stuff. Stuff happens to everyone. We’ve all been in positions to ask for forgiveness but to ask for it, you have to learn and know how to give forgiveness, too,” Loughlin said.
“My family wasn’t one to hold grudges. I didn’t grow up in a household where if you made a mistake, you weren’t forgiven,” she continued. “No one is perfect, we all make mistakes.”
“All you can do is be real, be honest, admit you’ve made some mistakes, and move forward and hope that the public forms a better opinion of you. She has made it clear she is ready for bigger roles and has bigger projects on the horizon,” Fielder said.
In January next year, Loughlin will tackle her first recurring role in the new Prime Video series, “On Call.”
OLIVIA JADE ‘EXCITED’ FOR MOM LORI LOUGHLIN’S RETURN TO TV FOLLOWING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL
The police drama, from “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf, will be an “adrenalized and visceral” look at a rookie and veteran officer duo in Long Beach, California, and stars Troian Bellisario, Brandon Larracuente in the leads, as well as Loughlin and “ER” alum Eriq La Salle, per the show’s press notes.
Given her roles in two police related series, and making fun at herself, Atwal said, “The roles are clever choices since she goes from getting out of jail into acting in ‘Law & Order’ formats,” adding that it is a “good image makeover.”
She added, “Many talk shows and magazines will want to hear from her, so she can get far more than the usual airtime she had in the past, because drama sells, and she can generate empathy and sympathy when laying out what she has learned from her mistakes.”
