Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s marriage reportedly never recovered from the infamous college admissions scandal that made headlines six years before their separation.
“The school scandal was the turning point. They never really connected or recovered from their relationship after that,” a source told Us Weekly Tuesday, adding that the actress felt the fashion designer was “caught up” in the situation.
“She didn’t completely blame him, but he took the lead,” the source said, noting that Loughlin “never completely forgave him and has never fully recovered from him.”
Sources say the pair were “never the same” after what became known as Operation Varsity Blues, which took a toll on their marriage.
In March 2019, Loughlin and Giannulli were among dozens of parents indicted on fraud charges for allegedly paying bribes to get their children into top universities in a nationwide college admissions scam.
The following May, the couple pleaded guilty to paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters, Bella Giannulli, now 27, and Olivia Jade Giannulli, now 26, into the University of Southern California as rowing recruits.
The “Full House” star then served a two-month prison sentence, while the founder of clothing brand Mossimo served a five-month sentence.
Another source told Us Weekly that the estranged couple has “been estranged in recent years” as their “daughters have grown up” and “the fallout from the scandal has subsided.”
According to a source, the two “became estranged and realized they had little in common with each other.”
However, the source stressed that Loughlin and Mossimo have had “a lot of ups and downs” over the years and that “they’ve both made mistakes.”
As Page Six previously reported, Loughlin ended their nearly 28-year marriage after discovering “incriminating” communications on Mossimo’s cell phone.
“Really, the turning point came when Lori found a bunch of text messages,” a friend of Lori’s told Us in October 2025, two weeks after news of the separation broke.
“Mossimo had been using Lori for years,” the friend continued. “She had hoped that he might change once he got out of prison, but he got worse.”
Another family friend said Loughlin had visited a Los Angeles strip club where Mossimo allegedly frequented “with strippers” and “to see what he was doing.”
At the time, People detailed that Loughlin felt “betrayed” by Mossimo, but tensions have since calmed down, according to Us Weekly.
“They’re friendly. They don’t hate each other,” one source said Thursday, adding that Loughlin had invited Mossimo to the family’s Christmas celebration. “It’s friendlier than people think or expect.”
The couple is reportedly “in no hurry” to file the paperwork, but divorce “seems to be a long way off.”
Representatives for the star did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
