In her first public statement since her incarceration for her role in the 2019 college admissions scandal, actress Felicity Huffman has expressed remorse for her actions.
Huffman was one of several high-profile individuals implicated in the scandal, known as "Varsity Blues," which involved bribing college officials to manipulate her daughter's SAT scores.
In an interview with Marc Brown of ABC7, Huffman explained her motivation behind her actions, stating, "I know hindsight is 20/20, but it felt like I would be a bad mother if I didn't do it. So, I did it." Huffman's daughter, who was reportedly unaware of her mother's actions, was diagnosed with a learning disability. Huffman paid Rick Singer, the orchestrator of the scandal, $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter's incorrect SAT answers.
Reflecting on her actions, Huffman expressed regret, saying, "I kept thinking 'turn around, just turn around' and to my undying shame, I didn't." She recounted the shock of being awakened at gunpoint by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, an event she initially thought was "a joke."
Despite her remorse, Huffman admitted that at the time, she felt compelled to break the law to secure her daughter's future. She said, "It felt like I had to give my daughter a chance at a future ... which meant I had to break the law."
Huffman and her husband, actor William Macy, initially hired Singer to assist their daughter with her SAT scores. However, Singer eventually suggested that cheating was the only way to ensure her admission to her preferred colleges. Huffman recalled feeling that this was her "only choice."
Reflecting on the impact of her actions, Huffman said, "I think I feel the people I owe a debt and an apology to is the academic community and to the students and the families that sacrifice and work really hard to get to where they are going legitimately."
As reported by ABC7, Huffman's daughter was initially rejected by all the colleges she applied to. However, after retaking the SAT, she is now studying drama at Carnegie Mellon University. Huffman's actions resulted in a $30,000 fine and an 11-day prison sentence in 2019.
Login