Lori Loughlin is kicking off 2026 feeling “really happy,” despite the October 2025 revelation that she and her husband of 26 years, designer Mossimo Giannulli, had split. Her just-announced return to Hallmark and an “amicable” relationship with Giannulli, 62, are fueling her happiness these days, according to Us Weekly.
The outlet published new details from two inside sources on January 8, 2026, about how the couple’s separation is playing out, and how Loughlin, 61, is coping with all the changes.
Source Says Lori Loughlin’s Marriage Eroded During College Scandal
GettyGiannulli and Loughlin, who first rose to fame on “Full House” in the 90s, got married in 1997 on Thanksgiving Day, she told “Entertainment Tonight” in 2018, adding, “He’s my guy, he’s my person.”
But by the following year, their relationship began to crumble under the weight of their involvement in the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, in which wealthy parents were accused of paying bribes to get their kids into certain colleges and universities.
When the news broke, Loughlin’s role as Abigail Stanton was immediately cut from “When Calls The Heart,” and in 2020, the couple pleaded guilty to paying $500,000 to get their teen daughters into the University of Southern California. Loughlin spent two months behind bars, and Giannulli served five months, which marked the beginning of their marriage’s erosion, a source told Us Weekly.
“The school scandal was a turning point, and they never really connected or recovered their relationship after that,” the insider said. “She felt that he got her involved. She didn’t fully blame him, but he spearheaded it. She never fully forgave him and never fully got over it, and they were never the same after.”
Loughlin’s “Full House” co-star John Stamos also put the blame squarely on Giannulli during an appearance on the “Good Guy” podcast in October, calling Giannulli a “narcissist” and adding, “I really tried to be there for her during this time and also with the college scandal I’m not going to debate whether she had much to do with it or not. I know she didn’t.”
A second source told Us Weekly on January 8, “They grew apart and realized neither of them had much in common anymore as the girls got older and as the dust settled from the scandal.”
Sources Say Lori Loughlin & Mossimo Giannulli’s Post-Split Relationship is ‘Cordial’
Crown MediaDespite reports of major tension between the former couple, one source told Us Weekly, “The dynamic between Lori and Mossimo is cordial these days. They are still in family group chats, and communication is friendly.”
In fact, Us Weekly reported that Loughlin invited Giannulli over for a family Christmas celebration, with the source explaining, “They are friendly. They don’t hate each other. It’s more amicable than people think or would expect.”
In recent months, they’ve sold some of their shared assets, including a Los Angeles mansion that sold for $12.6 million in November and another in Palm Desert, California, for $16.5 million.
Loughlin is said to “be in a good headspace,” and was beaming at the Hallmark Christmas Experience in Kansas City, where she made a surprise appearance in mid-December. She will return to “When Calls The Heart” in season 14, which will air in 2027.
I still don’t like her for what we and her husband did and will never ever watch that show again.
But he who is without sin cast the first stone.
This country has lost all decency, morals and respect!
I said all along that she was not involved; the phone call she took she told them to talk to her husband. He was the one who did the bribery payout. She was made to plead guilty because they threatened her with a 40-year prison sentence. A good lawyer probably told her that her husband would turn ion her and to take the deal. A lot of Nola Contendre pleas are done because they threaten you with 40 years and say plead to charge and you will serve 6 weeks in a posh minimum-security prison.
I hope they bring back Garage Sale Mysteries. Best Mystery movies ever with the best cast.
Agree bring back Garage Sale Myteries!