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Lori Loughlin loses starring roles on B.C.-based Hallmark Channel films

Loughlin has not yet entered a plea in case accusing her of U.S. college bribery scam
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FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2019 file photo, actress Lori Loughlin, center, poses with daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli, left, and Isabella Rose Giannulli at the 2019 BԪַAn Unforgettable EveningBԪַ in Beverly Hills, Calif. Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were charged along with nearly 50 other people Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the most elite schools in the country, federal prosecutors said. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

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.

BԪַWe are saddened by the recent allegations surrounding the college admissions process,BԪַ Hallmark Cards Inc., parent company of the Crown Media Family Networks group that includes the Hallmark Channel, said in a statement.

BԪַWe are no longer working with Lori LoughlinBԪַ 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 daughtersBԪַ college admissions.

LoughlinBԪַs career and the Hallmark Channel were deeply intertwined. SheBԪַs been among its so-called BԪַChristmas queensBԪַ who topline a slate of popular holiday movies, and also starred in the ongoing BԪַGarage Sale MysteriesBԪַ movies and the series BԪַWhen Calls the Heart.BԪַ

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BԪַItBԪַs a feel-good, family values-type channel, and obviously scandal is the opposite of that,BԪַ said Atlanta-based market strategist Laura Ries.

There was more at stake than image. BԪַWhen Calls the HeartBԪַ tapes in Canada, and a judge ordered LoughlinBԪַs 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. LoughlinBԪַs publicist declined comment Thursday on HallmarkBԪַs decision to drop her.

The actress wasnBԪַt exclusive to Hallmark. SheBԪַs reprised her role as Aunt Becky for NetflixBԪַs BԪַFuller HouseBԪַ reboot of the popular series that originated in 1987 on ABC. But the sitcom represents a fraction of the streamerBԪַs flood of programs, while Loughlin has occupied an increasing amount of Hallmark real estate since she starred in BԪַMeet My MomBԪַ in 2010.

SheBԪַs proved a reliable performer. Her 2018 holiday movie, BԪַHomegrown Christmas,BԪַ was the most-watched non-sports cable program the week it aired. In February, the season six premiere of BԪַWhen Calls the HeartBԪַ was watched by a series-best 2.5 million viewers, putting it behind only BԪַThe Walking DeadBԪַ in Sunday night cable dramas.

BԪַThey definitely have a formula and you do have to follow the formula. And if you donBԪַt, they rein you back in and say, BԪַYou have to follow. This is our format, this is what we do,BԪַBԪַ 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 BԪַheartwarming,BԪַ adding, BԪַYou go to bed and you donBԪַt have any bad dreams.BԪַ

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 TuesdayBԪַs bombshell government allegation that Loughlin and her husband were among more than 30 parents who paid a consultant to ensure their offspringBԪַs 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 (BԪַDesperate Housewives,BԪַ BԪַAmerican CrimeBԪַ) 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.

BԪַShe lost trust,BԪַ said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a New York-based brand research firm. So did her empire, despite StewartBԪַs efforts to separate her personal actions from it: BԪַWrong BԪַ youBԪַre the brand,BԪַ he said.

While Stewart may exemplify her business, Loughlin wasnBԪַt the only engaging star on HallmarkBԪַs roster. BԪַFull HouseBԪַ co-star Candace Cameron Bure and Lacey Chabert are among its popular holiday movie stars, and another emerged this year as Kellie PicklerBԪַs BԪַChristmas At GracelandBԪַ ranked as the most-watched entry.

BԪַThere are other actresses out there, whether they find or develop another to replace her,BԪַ said Ries.

Lynn Elber, The Associated Press

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