The night before actress Lori Loughlin and her husband of 28 years, Mossimo Giannulli, announced their separation, the former Hallmark star was photographed leaving a Los Angeles restaurant with another Hallmark alum, James Tupper.
On October 2, 2025, TMZ and Page Six were among the outlets that published pics from Backgrid of the duo outside The Bird Streets Club in West Hollywood, hugging after dinner as they waited for the valet. In 2023, when Loughlin and Tupper co-starred in two rom-coms on Great American Family, the network swooned over their “off-screen chemistry” in a social media promo posted at the time.
But in the years since Loughlin and Giannulli served time for their involvement in the largest college admissions scandal in U.S. history, the actress has remained close with many of her past co-stars, from her “Full House” family to former castmates on Hallmark’s “When Calls The Heart.”
Lori Loughlin & James Tupper Have Both Navigated Family Hardships in Recent Years
Loughlin and Giannulli were among dozens of wealthy parents charged in 2019’s headline-making “Operation Varsity Blues” sting, according to NBC News, for paying $500,000 to a California college admissions consultant to ensure their daughters got into the University of Southern California.
Days after Loughlin was arrested in 2019, Hallmark cut ties with her and removed her from the cast of “When Calls The Heart,” where she played beloved character Abigail Stanton. The network also stopped production on her popular “Garage Sale Mysteries” movies.
Following her two-month prison sentence in 2020, Loughlin kept a fairly low profile until she landed her first movie since the scandal, co-starring with Tupper in Great American Family’s “Fall Into Winter” in early 2023. The duo reunited later that year in the network’s “A Christmas Blessing.”
James Tupper Has Been Navigating Life as a Single Dad Since Anne Heche’s Death
HallmarkWhen Tupper and Loughlin filmed their movies, he was also navigating a challenging time in his family, following the death of his ex, actress Anne Heche, in an August 2022 car crash. Though the couple split in 2018, they had continued to happily co-parent their son Atlas, born in 2009.
Before Heche’s death, Tupper starred in multiple Hallmark projects, including the “Emma Fielding Mysteries” movies and 2022’s “Mid-Love Crisis” with Teri Hatcher. So, “Fall Into Winter” with Loughlin was also his first movie back since his family crisis.
Loughlin and Tupper haven’t worked on any other projects together since 2023, and neither have appeared on Hallmark or Great American Family since. Most recently, Loughlin had a recurring role on Amazon Prime’s 2025 series “On Call.”
Lori Loughlin Has Continued to Be Close Friends With Many Past Co-Stars
GettyAs Loughlin navigates her separation, she has a wide circle of friends from past series and movies to lean on for support. She remains close with her “Full House” and “Fuller House” family, including John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Hallmark’s Jodie Sweetin, and Candace Cameron Bure, a former Hallmark star who now exclusively appears on Great American Family.
In addition to Sweetin, Loughlin has remained tight with other past Hallmark peers, including “When Calls The Heart” lead Erin Krakow and Holly Robinson Peete.
Krakow has sung Loughlin’s praises many times in recent years, including calling Loughlin her “true friend forever” in a 2024 birthday tribute. She has also shared pics of their get-togethers over the years, including a night out with fellow WCTH castmate Pascale Hutton.
In 2022, Loughlin stood by Holly Robinson Peete as she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The week before, she made her first red carpet appearance since the college admissions scandal to attend Peete’s DesignCares fundraiser for her foundation.
In the summer of 2025, Loughlin also attended the surprise wedding of former WCTH co-star Jack Wagner and spoke at the reception.
