Hauppauge's Lori Loughlin returning to Hallmark Channel's 'When Calls the Heart'

Hauppauge-raised Lori Loughlin will return to one of her best-known roles when the Hallmark Channel’s period drama "When Calls the Heart" returns for season 14 in 2027.

Loughlin, 61, was let go from the show in 2019 after she and her husband were among dozens of parents arrested in a federal investigation of college admissions irregularities. She served 2 months in prison.

The Hauppauge High School graduate, who for the first six seasons of "Heart" played Abigail Stanton, a cafe owner and later mayor of a small Canadian town in the 1910s, will appear in six of the 14th season’s 12 episodes. Season 13 premieres next month. 

"Since the series’ debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton was a fan favorite and beloved by the Hearties," Hallmark Media programming chief Michelle Vicary said in a statement, referring to the show’s fans. "At its core the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme of ‘When Calls the Heart.’ We felt that Season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail’s story."

The show had explained her character’s absence through Abigail’s friend Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) saying in voice-over in the season 7 premiere, "We never know how life will turn. It’s been a week since Abigail got word that her mother had taken ill back East. True to her nature, Abigail wasted no time in rushing off to care for her."

Loughlin returned to acting in 2021 with a two-episode arc of Great American Family’s "When Calls the Heart" spinoff, "When Hope Calls." She went on to star in the GAF telefilms "Fall Into Winter" and "Blessings of Christmas" in 2023. Loughlin good-naturedly spoofed herself and her travails in an episode of HBO’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm" the following year. 

Loughlin’s representative had no additional comment.

Best known as Aunt Becky on "Full House" (ABC, 1987-95) and its 2016-20 Netflix sequel series, Loughlin has also starred in The WB’s "Summerland," which she co-created; ABC's "Hudson Street" with Tony Danza; The CW's "90210"; and numerous telefilms including the "Garage Sale Mystery" franchise.

Most recently, she guest-starred in the Nov. 8, 2024, episode of CBS’ "Blue Bloods," reprising the role of police widow Grace Edwards she had played in a 2016 episode of the police-family drama, and played Lt. Bishop of the Long Beach, California, police department, in this year’s Dick Wolf-produced Prime Video series "On Call."

In October, Loughlin’s representative announced she had separated from her husband of nearly 28 years, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.