Lori Loughlin has returned to Instagram more than seven years after deleting her account during the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, making her re-debut with the help of her former Full House co-stars.
The 62-year-old actress deleted her profile on the picture and video sharing social network in March 2019 amid news of the college bribing scandal, which saw her spend two months in a federal prison.
Loughlin launched her return by posting a video on Monday featuring appearances from several of her long-time castmates from the hit sitcom Full House.
The video featured appearances by John Stamos, Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure, Scott Weinger, Andrea Barber, and Dave Coulier. Each star held up a cup of coffee as they said the famous catchphrase, "Wake up San Francisco."
The phrase was made famous by Loughlin's television presenter character, Rebecca Donaldson, and her late co-host Danny Tanner, played by Bob Saget. Full House originally aired from 1987 to 1995, portraying the lives of the Tanner family in San Francisco, California.
In the video, Coulier showed off his humor as he drank directly from a large pitcher of coffee. Stamos played Loughlin's on-screen husband Jesse Katsopolis on the series, while Sweetin and Bure featured as on-screen sisters Stephanie and DJ Tanner.
After her castmates were shown, Loughlin finally appeared back on her Instagram feed as she lip-synced a famous line from Full House.
She mimed: "Hi I’m Rebecca Donaldson and I’m welcoming myself back to the show. Welcome back Becky. Why thank you Becky."
There was then a sweet tribute to the late Bob Saget, who passed away in January 2022. The post included an old clip of Saget from Full House delivering the morning show catchphrase while in character.
"Wake up San Francisco, I’m Danny Tanner," Saget said in the archival clip before it cut to present day Loughlin who said: "And I’m Rebecca Donaldson."
Loughlin simply captioned the clip: "Wake up, San Francisco! I’m back on IG" alongside two heart emoji.
Operation Varsity Blues Bribing Case
Loughlin deleted her Instagram account in March 2019 as news broke of Operation Varsity Blues, a massive nationwide college bribing scandal that involved 33 parents.
In May 2020, Loughlin and her 63-year-old fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli pleaded guilty in connection with conspiracy charges in the college admission bribery case.
Loughlin had pleaded guilty to paying $500,000 to get her two daughters enrolled into the University of Southern California in 2019.
After receiving half a million dollars from Loughlin and Giannulli, fixer Rick Singer arranged to get her daughters Isabella Rose, now 27, and Olivia Jade, now 26, onto the school's rowing team, despite them having no background in the sport.
Loughlin received a two-month jail sentence along with a fine of $150,000 and 100 hours of community service following her guilty plea.
She began her sentence at a federal prison in Dublin, California, in October of 2020 and was released that December.
Loughlin's husband Giannulli received a five-month sentence with a fine of $250,000 and 250 hours of community service. He began his prison sentence in November of 2020 and was transferred to home confinement in April of 2021, about a month before his sentence ended.
Impact on Olivia Jade and Acting Career
At the center of the case was Loughlin and Giannulli's youngest daughter, influencer Olivia Jade.
In YouTube videos posted before the scandal erupted, Olivia told fans she didn't "really care about school" and was more interested in the social scene as she prepared for her upcoming college experience.
The influencer gave her followers advice on applying to university just days before federal agents arrested her parents for their involvement in the conspiracy.
She has since apologized for the comments, and has returned to social media after a brief hiatus when the scandal unraveled in March 2019.
In 2022, she insisted she was a "straight A student" who "worked really hard" in high school even before her parents paid $500,000 for her to get into the University of Southern California.
Loughlin was seen with her daughters in Beverly Hills in March.
Professionally, Loughlin's legal troubles kept her sidelined from Fuller House's fifth season. Her return to the small screen came in late 2021, appearing on a two-part Christmas special for the series When Hope Calls.
Split from Husband Mossimo Giannulli
In October, it was revealed that Loughlin and Giannulli split after 28 years of marriage.
"They are living apart and taking a break from their marriage," Loughlin's representative Elizabeth Much told the Daily Mail at the time. "There are no legal proceedings at this time."
Loughlin and Giannulli were previously seen leaving court together in 2019, and were also photographed together in April 2009 and with their daughters in November 2014.
Her latest video post marks her official return to social media interactions with her fan base and long-time former cast members.
