Back to work! Lori Loughlin is ready to resume her acting duties after serving time for her role in the college admissions scandal — but she still needs legal approval.
The Hallmark channel star, 58, was offered a role in a project set to shoot in Canada in the fall, per legal documents obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, August 8. Her ability to travel to the country, however, was contingent upon a judge’s approval, since she’s currently on two-years’ probation after serving two months in jail from October to December 2020.
According to the documents, the project would last about one week and would be shot in the middle of September or the beginning of October. The judge signed off on the Thursday, August 4, petition to the court on Friday, allowing the Full House alum to travel, but she has a few more hurdles to jump in the approval process.
Canada is very strict about allowing convicted felons to the country, having denied celebrities like Chris Brown and rapper The Game due to their criminal records. Therefore, next steps for the Homegrown Christmas star will include applying for a Canadian Temporary Resident Permit, which is a government-issued approval to allow her to cross the border.
The New York native and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were accused in May 2019 of paying bribes worth more than $500,000 to help their daughters — Olivia Jade Giannulli and Bella Giannulli — secure admission to the University of Southern California. Nearly one year later, the couple pled guilty to fraud charges before each serving a prison sentence. After Loughlin finished her two-month stay, her husband served five months in prison.
Since her release, the Every Christmas Has a Story actress made her return to the screen, appearing in the When Calls the Heart spinoff, When Hope Calls, and focusing her efforts on volunteering with Project Angel Food — even after completing her 100 hours of court-order community service in February 2021.
“She has served her time in jail and completed her probation, community service and paid all of her court fines,” a source exclusively told Us in October 2021, noting Loughlin hopes to “put the past behind her.”
Her charity work voluntarily continued after the court mandate ended. The TV star gushed over working with Project Angel Food during its “Leading With Love 3” telethon in July, noting the “wonderful” community of people.
“They have welcomed me with such open arms at a time when I was feeling particularly down and broken,” Loughlin shared at the time. “That’s how I found a home here, and that’s what I feel like they did for me, and that’s why I’m so proud to be here and working with this organization, because they really do care. It’s really a community.”
She added: “It’s more than just feeding people, it’s about loving people and helping people. And I think that is so important, and I am so proud to be a part of Project Angel Food.”