Insiders have shed light on how the college admissions scandal ultimately led to Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s separation after 28 years of marriage.
The couple’s split was revealed via a statement from Loughlin’s rep on Friday, and multiple sources have since revealed how the marriage was unable to recover from the legal ordeal they were embroiled in just a few short years ago – with one insider saying the humiliation ‘killed’ the relationship and tore apart the family.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for the former couple for comment.
Loughlin, 61, and Giannulli, 62, had initially been indicted in 2019 in connection with allegations they paid admissions fixer Rick Singer $500,000 to arrange for the University of Southern California to recruit their daughters onto the school’s rowing team, despite that they had no background in the sport.
In May 2020, Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded guilty in connection with conspiracy charges in the college admission bribery case and both served time in prison. The exes, who served sentences concurrently for their convictions in the case, share two daughters: Isabella ‘Bella’ Rose, 27, and Olivia Jade Giannulli, 26.
According to a source close to Giannulli, the fashion designer and Loughlin had a ‘strong’ union before the legal scandal not only drove a wedge into their marriage, but caused their professional endeavors to suffer.
Insiders have revealed how the college admissions scandal ultimately led to the demise of Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s marriage of 28 years; pictured 2019
The humiliation from the legal ordeal apparently played a critical role in ending the marriage
Giannulli apparently placed the brunt of the blame on his wife.
‘Their marriage was very strong before the s**t hit the fan with the college admissions scandal. That totally derailed it. His sales suffered. She lost Hallmark. They blamed each other, but he blamed her more,’ the source said.
Another source close to Giannulli described how his reputation had vanished as a result of the scandal – and claimed Loughlin was the ‘driving’ force behind using corrupt methods to get their daughters into USC.
‘The entire family was embarrassed and that was like a huge deal to Mossimo. It felt like he had built all this goodwill, publicly, and it was all gone. They were literally the butt of jokes on late night TV. There was this perception that they were rich, and the worst kind of rich people, who use their wealth for unfair advantages,’ they said.
‘You forget, the narrative was so terrible,’ the source said. ‘They had the world, and it wasn’t enough for them. Their daughters had privilege, and that wasn’t enough for them. It was humiliating. And Lori was really the one who was driving that bus. She was the one who wanted to do the rowing pictures.’
For a moment, it appeared the couple’s relationship may have been able to survive – however that didn’t come to fruition.
‘She was really at the forefront, and Mossimo was embarrassed at what happened. His family is everything to him, and this was just shameful. So they never really recovered. There was a point when they had staggered jail sentences where it seemed like maybe they’d make it, but they didn’t.’
A second source close to Giannulli said the couple had long been ‘living separate lives’ – and claimed their relationship was ‘pretty strong’ before the scandal blew up.
They also predicted Giannulli would likely to begin dating again ‘soon’.
The exes, who served sentences concurrently for their convictions in the case, share two daughters: Isabella ‘Bella’ Rose, 27, and Olivia Jade Giannulli, 26; pictured 2019
In May 2020, Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded guilty in connection with conspiracy charges in the college admission bribery case and both served time in prison; pictured 2019
‘They really have been living separate lives for a long time. After the scandal, they hunkered down, but it just was clearly borrowed time. Something died with that embarrassment. They were pretty strong before it. But that was the worst thing that could have happened to them both.
‘It killed the marriage and broke the family apart. I know people won’t be sympathetic, but they made a really big mistake, and they paid a staggering price for it. I don’t know if he has someone else, or if she does. He’s certainly not talking about that to his friends if there’s someone on the side.
‘But I bet he finds another woman soon if he doesn’t already have one. That just seems pretty much like what he’d do.’
A source close to the couple’s daughter Olivia says the influencer ‘feels terrible’ about the split, and while the siblings are aware they are not at fault for the actions their parents took to get them into college, ‘there’s no way for them not to feel a little bad about it.’
The insider also said the family have lost the close relationship they once shared.
A source close to Mossimo claimed Loughlin was the ‘driving’ force behind using corrupt methods to get their daughters into USC; pictured 2019
‘I know she feels terrible about all this,’ they said. ‘They’ve been living this reality for a few years. The family was close, and now it isn’t. And Olivia and Bella remember when things were good. That’s the worst part: they remember it all. And they’ve been watching the collapse in real time. And both of them know that the college thing wasn’t their fault, but there’s no way for them not to feel a little bad about it, because it was done on their behalf. They are close to both parents, but they have had a lot to work out with them. It’s been a rocky road for the entire family.’
But it wasn’t just the marriage that was impacted, with another source describing how Loughlin’s friendships also changed as a result of the legal scandal.
‘Lori’s life changed forever after the college scandal and going to prison. It not only changed the dynamic with her and her Hollywood friends, it changed the dynamic in her relationship with Mossimo. Add to that Covid shutdowns, the last couple years just have not been an enjoyable experience in their relationship,’ the source said.
Sadly, they claim the love between the estranged couple has since disappeared.
‘They weren’t even going through the motions, and just started to grow apart more and more. And now that their daughters are all grown up, they don’t have to be in such a united front and be parents to little kids. It is looking very much that this separation is going to be permanent as they can’t get on the same page on living together anymore. The love is no longer there.’
A source claimed Lori’s friendships in Hollywood also ‘changed’ after the scandal; pictured 2012
On Friday, a rep for Loughlin confirmed she and Giannulli had separated.
‘They are living apart and taking a break from their marriage,’ Loughlin’s representative Elizabeth Much told the Daily Mail . ‘There are no legal proceedings at this time.’
Loughlin, a cast member on the hit sitcom Full House and its Netflix reboot, received a two-month jail sentence along with a fine of $150,000 and 150 hours of community service following the college admissions scandal guilty plea.
Loughlin, who played Rebecca ‘Aunt Becky’ Katsopolis on the family comedy, 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.
Giannulli began his prison sentence in November of 2020. The fashion designer was transferred to home confinement in April of 2021, about a month before his sentence ended.
The celeb couple were busted in what was called Operation Varsity Blues – a massive nationwide scandal which involved 33 parents.
Also notably involved was Emmy-winning actress Felicity Huffman, who served 11 days in custody in 2019 in connection with her plea deal in the Operation Varsity Blues case.
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.
A source close to the couple’s daughter Olivia says she ‘feels terrible’ about everything, with the influencer and her sister Bella bearing witness to the ‘collapse in real time’; pictured 2018
The influencer gave her followers advice on applying to universities – 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 after the scandal unraveled in March 2019.
Earlier this year, 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.
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.
She appeared on her first red carpet in the wake of the scandal in June of 2022 when she made an appearance at RJ’s Place for the DesignCare 2022 Gala, benefitting the HollyRod Foundation.
