Lori Loughlin is back on Instagram, and she's got some hands to hold onto with her former costars by her side.
The "Full House" alum, 62, made her long-awaited return to the social media platform on Monday, Aug. 31, for the first time since serving time in prison in connection with the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal.
Loughlin returned via a joint Instagram post with five of her former "Full House" costars: Dave Coulier, Andrea Barber, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin and John Stamos.
The video began with the stars, each recording from separate locations, looking into the camera one after another and saying, "Wake up, San Francisco!" On "Full House," Loughlin's character, Rebecca Donaldson, cohosts a morning show by that name with Bob
Saget's Danny Tanner.
The video, which also features "Full House" star Scott Weinger and archival footage of Saget's Danny Tanner, then cuts to Loughlin mouthing along to an old audio clip of herself on the series, saying, "Hi, I'm Rebecca Donaldson, and I'm welcoming myself back to the show. Welcome back, Becky! Why, thank you, Becky."
"Wake up, San Francisco! I'm back on IG 💕," Loughlin captioned the post.
The video is, so far, the only post on Loughlin's revived Instagram. In the comments, Kelly Rizzo, Saget's widow, expressed support for Loughlin, writing, "Yayyyyyy!!!! Love you!!!!! We missed you!!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍"
Loughlin previously deleted her social media accounts in 2019 after she was charged in the college admissions bribery scandal. In 2020, the actress pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud after prosecutors said she and her then-husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 in bribes to have their two daughters admitted to the University of Southern California as crew recruits, even though neither played the sport.
Loughlin served two months in prison and was released in December 2020. Giannulli, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud, was sentenced to five months in prison and was released in April 2021.
Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli, 26, has said she was unaware of her parents' actions. "I did work hard, and when this did come out, I was a little confused … If only people knew how bad I feel that this happened," she said on "Red Table Talk" in 2020.
Loughlin was initially fired by Hallmark in 2019 after being charged in the scandal, but the actress has since been gradually returning to the spotlight. In December, Hallmark announced that Loughlin would return to "When Calls the Heart." She previously reprised her role from the series in the spin-off, "When Hope Calls," in 2021, marking her return to acting after the scandal.
In recent years, Loughlin has also had a role in the police procedural "On Call," and in 2024, she played herself in an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" where she poked fun at the controversy. She'll next be seen in the Hallmark film "Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder Takes the Stage," which airs Sept. 19.
Stamos, who played Loughlin's on-screen love interest in "Full House," has gone on record defending the actress. Speaking on Josh Peck's "Good Guys" podcast in 2025, he argued that Loughlin "didn't deserve to be dragged through that" and alleged that "I know for a fact it was all" Giannulli.
In 2025, Loughlin and Giannulli separated after 27 years of marriage.
Contributing: Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lori Loughlin breaks Instagram silence 7 years after college admissions scandal
