The Hallmark Channel has cut ties with favored actress Lori Loughlin after she was charged in the college bribery scandal.
Hallmark said it was ‘saddened’ by the allegations involving the actress and revealed on Thursday the network would no longer be working with her.
It has also stopped development of all productions involving Loughlin.
The decision came a day after her arrest in a college admissions scam put the family-friendly network and extended Hallmark brand in uncomfortable proximity to a headline-grabbing scandal.
Also on Thursday, Sephora announced it had ended its partnership with Loughlin’s YouTube star daughter Olivia Jade.
Hallmark said it was ‘saddened’ by the allegations involving Lori Loughlin and revealed on Thursday the network would no longer be working with the actress
Hallmark initially took a wait-and-see approach after a federal investigation of the scam involving more than 30 parents, many of them prominent, was revealed on Tuesday.
Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying bribes to gain their daughters’ college admissions.
She’s been among Hallmark’s so-called Christmas queens who topline a slate of popular holiday movies.
She also starred in the ongoing ‘Garage Sale Mysteries’ movies and the series ‘When Calls the Heart’.
Loughlin’s series tapes in Canada and she flew back to California from Vancouver some time after the news of the charges broke on Tuesday.
In February, the season six premiere of ‘When Calls the Heart’ was watched by a series-best 2.5 million viewers, putting it behind only ‘The Walking Dead’ in Sunday night cable dramas.
Loughlin was starring on the series ‘When Calls the Heart’ at the time of her arrest in the college admissions bribery scheme
Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were both charged after being accused of paying bribes to gain their daughters’ college admissions. Loughlin is pictured left in a court sketch on Wednesday, while her husband is pictured right leaving court
The 54-year-old, well known for her role as Aunt Becky in ‘Full House’, has a sunny smile that proved a good fit for Hallmark, which specializes in romantic dramas and comedies with a wholesome touch.
Her media-friendly personality allowed her to expertly tout her shows on her website and in TV appearances.
Loughlin’s publicist declined to comment Thursday on Hallmark’s decision to drop her.
Loughlin and her husband were among more than 30 parents who paid a consultant to ensure their offspring’s place in college with bribes and falsified exams.
Prosecutors allege the couple paid $500,000 to have their daughters – Olivia, 19, and Isabella, 20, labeled as crew-team recruits at USC even though neither is a rower.
Outrage: Sephora has ended its partnership with Lori Louglin’s YouTuber daughter Olivia Jade
Last year, Olivia Jade even released her own palette as part of a collaboration with its in-house label Sephora Collection
Loughlin and Giannulli were taken into federal custody and later released on separate $1 million bonds on Wednesday.
Their daughter, 19-year-old Olivia, who is widely known as a social media and YouTube star with millions of followers, has worked with popular beauty retailer Sephora for some time now.
Last year, she even released her own palette as part of a collaboration with its in-house label Sephora Collection.
But the company has now terminated its partnership with the teen, after it was revealed on Tuesday her parents had been charged.
Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman was among other prominent parents, including a lawyer, doctor and hedge fund manager, indicted in the scam.
Loughlin and her husband are accused of paying $500,000 to have their daughters – Olivia, 19, (left) and Isabella, 20, (right) labeled as crew-team recruits at USC even though neither is a rower
Loughlin has previously acted alongside her eldest daughter Isabella on Hallmark channel films