John Stamos is publicly supporting his former Full House costar, Lori Loughlin, amid her separation from husband Mossimo Giannulli. Stamos, 62, spoke out on the October 20 episode of the "Good Guys" podcast. Loughlin is 61.
“I’ve known her for 40 years,” Stamos stated, adding, “You see through people after a few years. This woman is a saint. I’m broken for her right now.”
While praising Loughlin, Stamos did not hold back his criticism of Giannulli. The actor accused Giannulli of being responsible for Loughlin’s entanglement in the 2019 college admissions scandal.
Stamos called Giannulli a "terrible narcissist." He claimed Loughlin "endured a lot over the years with this guy."
The actor stated he tried to be there for Loughlin during the college scandal. He firmly believes she was not largely involved. Stamos said, "I know she wasn’t."
He alleged that Giannulli "dragged her through all that." The scandal involved paying to secure admissions for their daughters, Olivia Jade and Bella, at the University of Southern California in 2019.
Stamos emphasized that Loughlin is "not a liar" and "is a saint." He revealed that when he called her the day the scandal broke, she told him, "Mossimo handles all that."
Stamos believes Loughlin seemed unaware of the full scope of events before she and Giannulli were arrested.
Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded guilty to mail and wire fraud in 2020. They had initially pleaded not guilty. Loughlin served two months in prison, while Giannulli was sentenced to five months. Both completed two years of supervised release, performed community service, and paid a total of $400,000 in fines.
Stamos recounted Loughlin’s reaction to her time in prison. She told him, "You know, I met a lot of good women in there. We have a book club."
He reiterated that Loughlin "didn’t deserve to go through all that." Stamos affirmed, "I know for a fact it was all his fault." He also suggested Olivia Jade did not necessarily wish to attend college, noting her success with her YouTube channel and makeup ventures.
Addressing the current separation, which Us Weekly confirmed earlier this month, Stamos again voiced his support for Loughlin. After 27 years of marriage, Loughlin’s representative told Us Weekly on October 2 that the couple is "now living separately." No legal proceedings are currently underway.
"She’s devastated," Stamos said of Loughlin. He described her as someone who "has really lived her life well," a "good person, good mother, good wife."
Stamos expressed his sadness at seeing her "family exploding and crumbling like this."
When asked about rumors of Giannulli’s infidelity, Stamos said he would "plead the fifth." However, he added, "Whatever he did to her, it tore her up to the core."
Stamos also called Loughlin "an angel" who consistently "made things better" for her husband. Loughlin played Stamos’s on-screen wife for years in Full House and Fuller House.
"She cleaned everything up," Stamos stated.
TMZ reports Giannulli did not comment on Stamos’s accusations. Us Weekly has contacted Giannulli’s attorney for a statement.