Lori Loughlin starred on 'When Calls the Heart' six seasons before the network cut ties in 2019 amid the college admissions scandal
Lori Loughlin missed seven years in Hope Valley, but When Calls the Heart fans are already gearing up for her official return during season 14. The actress, who plays Abigail Stanton, was part of the original cast for the Hallmark Channel series when it premiered in 2014.
After six seasons, the network cut ties with Loughlin in March 2019 amid her connection to the college admissions scandal. Loughlin and now-estranged husband Mossimo Giannulli initially denied allegations of paying for their daughters, Bella and Olivia Jade, to be admitted to college, but later changed their plea to guilty. Loughlin and Giannulli served two and five months, respectively, in jail on charges of wire and mail fraud. The former couple have since separated. Despite the initial scandal surrounding Loughlin, Hearties and her WCTH costars never stopped pushing for her return. In December 2025, Hallmark announced that she would be back for season 14. In a surprising twist, Loughlin’s Abigail, who left Hope Valley to help her sick mother out east, made a brief cameo during the season 13 finale in March 2026 — and teased her full comeback. “It’s good to be home,” Abigail said with tears in her eyes as she arrived in town solo before the credits rolled. Scroll down for everything Loughlin has said about her When Calls the Heart comeback ahead of season 14’s premiere:“It feels amazing and my girl here has been championing this for a long time,” Lori Loughlin told fans of her WCTH return during a surprise appearance at the Hallmark Christmas Experience in December 2025, noting Krakow, who plays Elizabeth Thornton, was a big reason she got asked back. “When did I find out? Maybe like a month ago, two months ago, and I just want to thank everyone at Hallmark for being so loving and so welcoming … and this just feels incredible.” She gushed, “I mean you guys all know it, we have such a special cast, and such a special bond and it’s just so nice to be back with my family.”'The whole entire cast of When Calls the Heart is my family. And all the actors that work at Hallmark are lovely,” Lori Loughlin told Press Pass LA in March 2026. “When you get the opportunity to do — whether it was the mystery movies I worked on or a Christmas movie — it was great to work with the stable of actors we always see at Hallmark.'During Hallmark’s The Heart of Hope Valley event in Los Angeles in March 2026, Lori Loughlin was featured on the panel alongside many of her When Calls the Heart costars as well as the cast of the new prequel series Hope Valley: 1874. As the night progressed, the spotlight turned to Loughlin and how her season 14 return came to be. “Erin , for a long time, has been putting a bug in everyone’s ear about bringing me back. Talking to the powers-at-be at Hallmark,” Loughlin told Us Weekly and other attendees at The Sun Rose West Hollywood Hotel. “And then Brad Krevoy, my good friend Brad Krevoy, has been a huge supporter and also talking and working behind the scenes.” The actress continued, “Then the lovely, beautiful, wonderful, I love her so much, Michelle Vicary, came back. That was really it. Of course Mike Perry and Darren Abbott. Them just being supportive and just welcoming me with open arms has been so good for my soul. I’m just so happy to be back.” When asked what she’s most “excited” about most with her return, Loughlin laughed, “Working with these clowns.”Lori Loughlin teased Abigail’s connection to Martin Cummins’ Henry Gowen during the March 2026 The Heart of Hope Valley event moderated by Entertainment Tonight’s Deirdre Behar. “They never really had a romance but they certainly danced ,” she said of the TV pairing. Loughlin recalled that for a long time on WCTH, Abigail and Henry’s story lines were “all conflict,” which sparked an idea in her. “I said, ‘Hey, want to play an undercurrent, like, there’s an attraction between?’” and Cummins was instantly on board. “We just started doing something on our own.” “Then the writers picked up on it and we just had a great time doing that and finding that other layer under the conflict that Abigail and Henry have at times,” she said, noting that Henry sending Abigail letters when once she was gone was a way for the actors to keep their connection going. Loughlin added, “I love Martin and I can’t wait to see him,” hinting fans might see their will-they, won’t-they dynamic continue during season 14.
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