John Stamos Defends Lori Loughlin Amid College Admissions Scandal
It’s been almost six months since Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering in the college admissions scandal, but John Stamos still can’t wrap his head around the whole thing.
While speaking to GQ, the actor finally broke his silence and spoke openly about his close relationship with Loughlin and how he’s currently handling everything that’s going on. This is the statement that Full House fans have been waiting for.
“Honestly I can’t figure it out. It doesn’t make sense,” Stamos, who has remained close with the When Calls the Heart star, said. He revealed that he spoke to his former on-screen wife “the morning everything hit.”
“I just can’t process it still,” he said, adding that he doesn’t feel comfortable speaking too openly about his feelings just yet. “I want to wait until the trial happens, if it does, or whatever the result is, and then talk about it.”
Today the 55-year-old mother of two, who has plead not guilty to all charges and turned down a plea deal because it included jail time, is facing up to 40 years in prison—something that Stamos says is too severe of a punishment.
“Whatever happened,” Stamos concluded, “I’m pretty sure that the punishment is not equal to the crime, if there was a crime.”
Actor and Full House costar Bob Saget was also reluctant to speak candidly about the scandal when questioned on the Today show back in April. “I will say that I love her, and I will say…no comment.”
After news broke that Loughlin allegedly paid $500,000 in bribes to have her two daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, admitted into University of Southern California as members of the crew team, the actress was dropped from the fifth and final season of Fuller House. She was also dropped by The Hallmark Channel, where she starred in When Calls the Heart.
Operation Varsity Blues is the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted in the U.S., according to The New York Times.
To seemingly lift the spirits of his dear friend, Stamos took to Instagram back in March, just days after Loughlin was charged, to share a heartfelt video of his 1-year-old son, Billy, giggling. “For those of us who just need a good smile right now xo,” he captioned the sweet clip.
While Loughlin’s future in this case is still unclear (she was back in court Monday, where she and Giannulli presented a united front and waived their right to separate attorneys), what is clear is that she’s surrounded by a loving support system of friends.
