Lori Loughlin has made her return to Instagram, more than seven years after her participation in the college admissions scandal led her to delete her account in March 2019. The 62-year-old actress's comeback was marked by a video shared on Monday, featuring appearances from her former "Full House" co-stars.
In the video, castmates including John Stamos, Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure, Scott Weinger, Andrea Barber, and Dave Coulier each held up a cup of coffee and delivered the iconic line, "Wake up San Francisco," a catchphrase associated with Loughlin's character Rebecca Donaldson and Bob Saget's character Danny Tanner on the beloved sitcom.
Following the castmates' segments, Loughlin appeared on her own feed, lip-syncing a "Full House" line. "Hi I’m Rebecca Donaldson and I’m welcoming myself back to the show. Welcome back Becky. Why thank you Becky," she mouthed.
The post also included a tribute to the late Bob Saget, who passed away in January 2022. An old clip of Saget as Danny Tanner delivering the "Wake up San Francisco" line was shown, before cutting back to Loughlin as Rebecca Donaldson.
Loughlin captioned the video, "Wake up, San Francisco! I’m back on IG ❤️❤️".
Loughlin and her then-husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty in May 2020 to conspiracy charges related to the college bribery scheme. Loughlin paid $500,000 to facilitate her two daughters' admission to the University of Southern California, with fixer Rick Singer arranging for them to be admitted to the rowing team despite no prior experience.
Loughlin served a two-month sentence in federal prison starting in October 2020 and was released in December of that year. She was also fined $150,000 and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
Giannulli received a five-month sentence, a $250,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service. He began his sentence in November 2020 and was transferred to home confinement in April 2021.
The scandal, known as Operation Varsity Blues, involved 33 parents. Loughlin and Giannulli's younger daughter, Olivia Jade, an influencer, had previously posted videos expressing a lack of interest in academics before her parents' involvement in the scheme was revealed. She has since apologized for those remarks.
Professionally, Loughlin's legal issues led to her absence from the fifth season of "Fuller House." Her acting return came in late 2021 with a role in a two-part Christmas special for "When Hope Calls."
In October, it was reported that Loughlin and Giannulli had separated after 28 years of marriage. A representative confirmed they were living apart and taking a break from their marriage, with no legal proceedings initiated at that time.
