Lori Loughlin Speaks Out In First Major Interview Since College Admissions Scandal

Aunt Becky is moving forward. Five years after the beloved sitcom actress was involved in a scandal dubbed “Varsity Blues” involving her daughters’ admission to college, Lori Loughlin is speaking out in her first major interview since she pled guilty to wire fraud charges related to the scam.

Loughlin was featured on the cover of FIRST For Women and spoke candidly to the publication about her life since the scandal. While she directly address the incident, she talked about her resilience since the story first made headlines in back in 2019. The interview also marked her first major one since 2019.

“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,” said the “Full House” actress, 59.

Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were two of the higher profile names that were involved in the infamous scandal to gain admission to prestigious colleges for their children. The scheme “allegedly involved students gaining entrance to schools including Georgetown, Stanford, Wake Forest University, UCLA and Yale as recruited athletes — regardless of their athletic ability — or on inflated college entrance exam test scores,” reported the New York Post.

All in all, 53 people were charged in relation to the scheme. Loughlin and her husband pled guilty to wire fraud, and each served time in prison for their roles in the scam.

“Prosecutors out of the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office said the couple paid a combined $500,000 to secure their two daughters’ admissions to the University of Southern California as crew recruits,” said the Los Angeles Daily News.

“Every day we’re met with different obstacles, but it’s all in how you approach things,” Loughlin reflected. “For me, it’s just persevering and as an actress, I hear ‘no’ a lot, so I just have to be myself and persevere and try not to let in negativity.”

“My advice is to just keep moving forward. Everyone has good times and bad times. That’s life. I think you just have to pick yourself up. Nobody said life was going to be a breeze. There’s beauty in life, but there’s also hardship in life.”

Giannulli and Loughlin are the parents to two daughters, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade.

Along with their parents, both daughters’ reputations took a hit during the college admissions scandal. Jade, an aspiring influencer, has managed to weather the storm of bad press, even appearing on “Dancing With The Stars” in 2021. She also regularly makes headlines because of relationship with “Euphoria” star Jacob Elordi.

Today, Loughlin is doing her best to move forward and put the scandal behind her. She’s resumed acting roles, and even made a guest appearance on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in March that poked fun at the scandal.

“I try to be a forgiving person. I’m not one to hold onto stuff. Stuff happens to everyone… No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. So I was always told to let stuff go. And I think for your own health, you have to let things go because you can’t hang on to negativity. Life’s too short,” she said to the magazine.

Today, she said she relies on her faith to get her through the hard times.

“It’s a feeling. I don’t know how to describe it. It could be my father, it could be my grandmother, it could be my grandfather. I just feel there’s a higher power looking out for all of us or carrying us through the tough times,” the Hallmark Channel star said.

When asked to describe herself today, Loughlin said that she’s open to whatever life may throw at her.

“I’m kind and I’m strong,” the “Fuller House” actress said. “And open—open to life, open to experiences. And I’m grateful. So I’d say I’m strong, grateful, open and kind.”