The Hallmark Channel cut ties Thursday with favoured star Lori Loughlin, a day after her arrest in a college admissions scam put the family-friendly network and extended Hallmark brand in uncomfortable proximity to a national scandal.
鈥淲e are saddened by the recent allegations surrounding the college admissions process,鈥� Hallmark Cards Inc., parent company of the Crown Media Family Networks group that includes the Hallmark Channel, said in a statement.
鈥淲e are no longer working with Lori Loughlin鈥� and have stopped development of all productions with the actress for Crown Media channels, the statement said.
The company 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 Tuesday. Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accusedof paying bribes to gain their daughters鈥� college admissions.
Loughlin鈥檚 career and the Hallmark Channel were deeply intertwined. She鈥檚 been among its so-called 鈥淐hristmas queens鈥� who topline a slate of popular holiday movies, and also starred in the ongoing 鈥淕arage Sale Mysteries鈥� movies and the series 鈥淲hen Calls the Heart.鈥�
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鈥淚t鈥檚 a feel-good, family values-type channel, and obviously scandal is the opposite of that,鈥� said Atlanta-based market strategist Laura Ries.
There was more at stake than image. 鈥淲hen Calls the Heart鈥� tapes in Canada, and a judge ordered Loughlin鈥檚 passport to be surrendered in December after grudgingly allowing her to cross the border for work until then.
Loughlin has not yet entered a plea in the case, and her attorney declined comment Wednesday after her first appearance in a Los Angeles federal court. Loughlin鈥檚 publicist declined comment Thursday on Hallmark鈥檚 decision to drop her.
The actress wasn鈥檛 exclusive to Hallmark. She鈥檚 reprised her role as Aunt Becky for Netflix鈥檚 鈥淔uller House鈥� reboot of the popular series that originated in 1987 on ABC. But the sitcom represents a fraction of the streamer鈥檚 flood of programs, while Loughlin has occupied an increasing amount of Hallmark real estate since she starred in 鈥淢eet My Mom鈥� in 2010.
She鈥檚 proved a reliable performer. Her 2018 holiday movie, 鈥淗omegrown Christmas,鈥� was the most-watched non-sports cable program the week it aired. In February, the season six premiere of 鈥淲hen Calls the Heart鈥� was watched by a series-best 2.5 million viewers, putting it behind only 鈥淭he Walking Dead鈥� in Sunday night cable dramas.
鈥淭hey definitely have a formula and you do have to follow the formula. And if you don鈥檛, they rein you back in and say, 鈥榊ou have to follow. This is our format, this is what we do,鈥欌�� Loughlin said in an interview last year with The Associated Press about the Christmas movies.
She said the rigidity chafes a bit but called the result 鈥渉eartwarming,鈥� adding, 鈥淵ou go to bed and you don鈥檛 have any bad dreams.鈥�
The New York City native with a sunny smile proved a good fit for the channel that specializes in romantic dramas and comedies with a wholesome touch, while her media-friendly personality allowed her to expertly tout her shows on her website and in TV appearances.
Then came Tuesday鈥檚 bombshell government allegation that Loughlin and her husband were among more than 30 parents who paid a consultant to ensure their offspring鈥檚 place in college with bribes and falsified exams. Prosecutors allege the couple paid $500,000 to have their daughters labeled as crew-team recruits at the University of Southern California, although neither is a rower.
Felicity Huffman (鈥淒esperate Housewives,鈥� 鈥滱merican Crime鈥�) was among the other prominent parents, including a lawyer, doctor and a venture capitalist, indicted in the scam.
Hallmark Cards, the Kansas City, Missouri, enterprise started in 1910, has moved quickly before to respond to any flare-ups, such as in when it removed a gift wrap from circulation after one person complained of seeing a swastika in its pattern.
Misbehaviour may be unusual in the Hallmark world but is nothing new for Hollywood, with the fallout from sex and other scandals affecting celebrities and companies. But the white-collar crime Loughlin is accused of is akin to that of another unlikely scofflaw: Martha Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 of obstructing justice and lying to the government about a stock sale.
鈥淪he lost trust,鈥� said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a New York-based brand research firm. So did her empire, despite Stewart鈥檚 efforts to separate her personal actions from it: 鈥淲rong 鈥� you鈥檙e the brand,鈥� he said.
While Stewart may exemplify her business, Loughlin wasn鈥檛 the only engaging star on Hallmark鈥檚 roster. 鈥淔ull House鈥� co-star Candace Cameron Bure and Lacey Chabert are among its popular holiday movie stars, and another emerged this year as Kellie Pickler鈥檚 鈥淐hristmas At Graceland鈥� ranked as the most-watched entry.
鈥淭here are other actresses out there, whether they find or develop another to replace her,鈥� said Ries.
Lynn Elber, The Associated Press
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