Lori Loughlin Recounted Feeling 'Down and Broken' Amid Her College Admission Fiasco

Actress Lori Loughlin is reflecting on her experiences after being charged in the college admissions scandal.

The actress and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were accused three years ago of using bribery to ensure the admission of their daughters. Federal authorities foiled this unlawful act. Following their admission of guilt to the charges, the two received jail sentences and were ordered to perform community service following their release.

Loughlin, who has now joined the nonprofit Project Angel Food, recently spoke about the difficult time she experienced during the scandal and praised the group for helping her get beyond her "down and broken" sentiments at the time.

On Saturday, July 23, Loughlin made an appearance at the televised Project Angel Food's "Lead With Love 3" telethon. While making a speech, the former "Full House" star partly spoke about the emotional pain she experienced during the college admissions controversy and how joining the group assisted her in overcoming its devastating impacts.

"It is a community, it is a family, and all the people that work here are so wonderful," Loughlin said as per UsWeekly. "They have welcomed me with such open arms at a time when I was feeling particularly down and broken."

She then expressed gratitude to the organization for supporting her, adding she was 'proud' of working with them.

"I'm so proud to be here and working with this organization because they really do care. It's really a community," the actress 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."

The nonprofit group hosted the "Lead With Love 3" telethon to aid in raising awareness of the problem of local food insecurity. According to Loughlin, working with the organization for more than a year has been "one of the most rewarding experiences of her life."

"I got to work everywhere — packed a lot of cereal, and I've packed a lot of fruit. Bags and bags of fruit," the "Fuller Houser" star recalled some of the activities she had engaged in during her time with Project Angel Food.

The actress said she had developed connections with the people she met while delivering her food packages, expressing how she enjoyed doing so.

"My favorite is doing the deliveries: I have the same delivery route, once a week, and I see the same people, and it's so nice to make that connection with those people. Often, they are unable to leave their homes."

It's been three years since Loughlin and Giannulli got indicted in May 2019 for giving bribes totaling more than $500,000 to aid their daughters – Olivia Jade Giannulli and Bella Giannulli – admission applications into a college in California.

Several additional people involved in the conduct were charged in the case, which grew into a nationwide scandal that cast doubt on Loughlin's professional future. Loughlin and her husband admitted guilt to fraud-related crimes and were sentenced to jail about a year later. In December 2020, Loughlin was freed after serving a two-month sentence.

Loughlin has kept mum about her involvement in the college scandal, barely hinting at it during her Saturday appearance at the Project Angel Food benefit. The actress has also maintained a private lifestyle, avoiding attending red carpet events and interviews.

Loughlin returned to the big screen in December 2021, her first acting gig since the scandal. She starred as Abigail Stanton in the spinoff series "When Hope Calls," reprising the same role she played in the parent show, "When Calls The Heart."

After being indicted, Loughlin's role in the parent series, in which she appeared from 2014 to 2019, was initially shelved. The historical drama went on to cut out her scenes from the series' final episodes, which were yet to be aired at the time.

Most of the air had cleared on her scandal case by the time the spinoff was getting ready to go into production, which may have encouraged the showrunners to invite her back to reprise her part. When the show finally debuted, it was established that Loughlin's character was helping her dying mother back in the East before returning to Hope Valley with her adoptive son, Cody (Carter Ryan Evancic).