Loughlin ultimately served two months behind bars for her role in the college admissions scandal.
John Stamos is recalling the initial phone conversation he had with Lori Loughlin ahead of her and her husband being engulfed by the college admissions scandal. And that first phone conversation about it had an eerie feeling and a big suspicion that they were being secretly recorded.
In his new memoir, If You Would Have Told Me, Stamos seems quite taken aback with how casual his Full House co-star was treating what proved to be a very serious investigation spearheaded by the Justice Department looking into celebrities and high-profile figures essentially buying their children's way into prestigious universities.
Calling her a "cherished friend to this day," Stamos writes that he and Loughlin have "weathered storms together and stood by each other's side despite life's hurdles." And in solidarity with her, it's why Stamos called Loughlin the second he heard about the college admissions scandal from a friend.
"In March 2019, I get a strange text around 5:30 am from my good friend Roger Lodge. He asks if Lori is okay. I hit him back, 'Why, what's up?'" Stamos writes. "Something about a college scandal. I started googling, but there was very little I could find. I knew she was working in Canada, so I called to check on her."
Stamos continues, "'Hey, what’s up?' She says, 'What's up with what?' like she had no idea what I was talking about."
The actor, best known for playing Uncle Jesse Katsopolis on the hit series and its reboot, then said the vibe he got from Loughlin was almost as if he had asked her if their TV kids -- twins Nicky and Alex -- finished their vegetables.
"You okay? Roger said something about a college scandal with your daughters?" Stamos writes. "'Oh that, yeah, I'm not sure,' she answers so casually as if I just asked her if Nicky and Alex finished all their vegetables."
Then, the stunner.
"Before I can process her response, I notice an odd clicking sound on the phone line," Stamos continues. "When I asked her about it, she again adopts her laissez-faire tone. 'Oh, they may be bugging my phone.' CLICK -- I hang up as fast as I can."
Stamos writes that he continued the conversation via text and instructed her to turn on the TV and tune in to a news conference where an FBI agent "is announcing the largest college admissions scandal ever handled by the Department of Justice, involving bribes to prestigious colleges for falsified student acceptances."
Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters, Isabella and Olivia Jade, admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits for the crew team, though neither of them had ever participated in the sport. They initially pleaded not guilty to all charges leveled against them, claiming their payments were donations to the school and not bribes.
They ultimately took a plea deal. Loughlin was sentenced to two months in prison, two years of supervised release, a fine of $150,000 and 100 hours of community service. Her husband was sentenced to five months in prison, two years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and 250 hours of community service for his involvement in the scandal.
"When it came time for her to face the consequences, I watched Lori embrace her responsibility, fulfill the legal requirements with her husband, and dust herself off with unwavering determination," Stamos continues in his memoir. "What struck me most was her sheer grit and her ability to gather the pieces of her shattered world and rebuild."
If You Would Have Told Me is available now.
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