Lori Loughlin was once best known to a generation of millennials for her role as Aunt Becky on Full House, which she reprised for the Netflix sequel series Fuller House. Back in 2019, however, the actress was involved in a college admissions bribery scandal that resulted in time behind bars. Now, years later, Loughlin has spoken out in her first big post-scandal magazine feature, and commenting on her ordeal involved dropping a line from Chumbawamba's most famous song.
And honestly, for an actress who was a hit with many fans in the '90s, why not use a '90s anthem when describing a situation? Speaking with FIRST for Women for her cover story, Loughlin said:
Every day, we’re met with different obstacles. But, for me, it’s like that song says, ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again.' Nobody said life was going to be a breeze; we all make mistakes, but the important thing is to persevere.
While Lori Loughlin didn't drop Chumbawamba's name or the title of the song – "Tubthumping," despite the widespread belief that the song is called "I Get Knocked Down" – there's no questioning what she's talking about. Her followup line about nobody saying life would "be a breeze" honestly had me thinking of the iconic Friends theme song, but the actress will always be known for Full House. She went on in the interview to address the concept of forgiveness:
Actually, I try to be a forgiving person. I’m not one to hold onto stuff. Stuff happens to everyone. We’ve all been in positions to ask for forgiveness but to ask for it, you have to learn and know how to give forgiveness, too. My family wasn’t one to hold grudges. I didn’t grow up in a household where if you made a mistake, you weren’t forgiven. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. So I was always told to let stuff go. And I think for your own health, you have to let things go because you can’t hang on to negativity. Life’s too short.
Lori Loughlin certainly was surrounded by plenty of negativity starting back in 2019 when details began to emerge about her alleged role in the "Operation Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal, and she eventually pleaded guilty to charges and was sentenced to two months of jail time in a federal prison. While the scandal was breaking, she was dropped from When Calls the Heart on Hallmark as well as Fuller House on Netflix, with Fuller House explaining Aunt Becky's absence in a surprising way.
This wasn't the first time that Lori Loughlin has spoken publicly since her jail time for the college admissions scandal, but the cover story for a magazine is certainly higher profile than some of her other platforms. She has also made a bit of a comeback on the small screen since getting out of prison, including Hallmark's When Calls the Heart spinoff in 2021, Blessings of Christmas at GAF in 2023, and most recently Curb Your Enthusiasm, on which she played a fictionalized version of herself in true Curb style.
Whether her magazine cover is just another step in a larger comeback in showbiz remains to be seen. Either way, if you want to revisit her time as Aunt Becky with Full House streaming via Max subscription and Fuller House available with a Netflix subscription. You can also find some newer options on our 2024 TV premiere schedule.
