Lori Loughlin's Divorce Filing Reveals Prenup Was Updated Years Before College Scandal

Lori Loughlin's divorce filing has revealed a previously little-discussed detail about her nearly 30-year marriage to Mossimo Giannulli: the couple's prenuptial agreement was amended in 2015, several years before their names became synonymous with the college admissions scandal.

Loughlin filed for divorce in Los Angeles on September 4, citing irreconcilable differences and listing August 31, 2025, as their date of separation.

The filing shows that the original prenup was signed in October 1997, about a month before Loughlin and Giannulli married, but it was later amended in August 2015.

That timing is significant because the amendment came roughly four years before the couple were charged in the 2019 'Varsity Blues' scandal, when prosecutors accused them of paying $500,000 to have their daughters falsely designated as crew recruits at the University of Southern California.

The financial agreement could now play a role as the couple formally begins the process of unwinding their marriage.

Loughlin has asked for their separate property, community property, assets and debts to be handled according to the terms of the prenup, while leaving the issue of spousal support for later. The filing adds a new layer to a split that follows years of legal turmoil, prison sentences and intense public scrutiny.

Why the 2015 Prenup Amendment Matters Now

According to the divorce paperwork, Loughlin and Giannulli originally entered into a prenuptial agreement on October 28, 1997. The document was later amended on August 11, 2015, almost four years before the college admissions scandal became public.

The filing does not publicly disclose the specific changes made in 2015. That means it would be misleading to assume the amendment was connected to the later criminal case or anticipated the financial consequences of the scandal.

What the filing does establish is that the couple had already revised their financial arrangements before the events that would transform their public lives.

Loughlin is asking the court to address property, assets and debts according to the agreement. She has also asked that spousal support be determined at a later stage and requested that Giannulli contribute towards her legal fees and costs.

A Year After Separation, Divorce Proceedings Begin

The legal filing comes nearly a year after the couple's separation became public. In October 2025, a representative for Loughlin confirmed that the pair were living apart and 'taking a break from their marriage', while stressing that there were no legal proceedings at that time.

The court filing now formally begins the divorce proceedings. Loughlin, 62, and Giannulli, 63, had been married since 1997 and share two daughters, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade Giannulli.

Their separation also follows a particularly turbulent chapter in their relationship. In 2019, federal prosecutors charged the couple in the college admissions case. They later pleaded guilty. Loughlin served two months in prison, while Giannulli served five months.

How the Varsity Blues Scandal Reshaped Their Lives

The admissions scandal became a major chapter in the couple's public lives.

Prosecutors said they paid $500,000 to admissions intermediary Rick Singer and his organisation to have their daughters falsely portrayed as crew recruits at USC, despite neither daughter participating in the sport.

At their 2020 sentencing, Loughlin acknowledged making 'an awful decision' and said she had allowed herself to be 'swayed from my moral compass'. Giannulli likewise expressed regret over the harm his actions caused his family.

The couple initially remained together through the criminal proceedings and prison sentences. But the eventual separation came after almost three decades of marriage.

The 2015 prenup amendment does not establish that the scandal caused financial changes to the agreement. Instead, its importance now is practical: Loughlin's filing asks the court to address the couple's property, assets and debts according to the terms of an agreement that was already in place.

Because the publicly available filing does not reveal the full terms of the prenup or the 2015 amendment, its precise effect on the couple's financial arrangements remains unclear.

The divorce filing therefore brings the financial arrangements surrounding Loughlin and Giannulli's long marriage into focus, with a prenup revised years before the scandal now forming part of the legal proceedings.