Throughout almost all of the coverage of Operation Varsity Blues and the aftermath of the arrests, I haven’t really found anyone involved to be in any way sympathetic. They’re all privileged a–holes who knew what they were doing and I hope they all have to pay the consequences. The only thing that makes me sad is this – before the scandal, I would have said that Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy had one of the best and most supportive marriages in Hollywood. He respected and honored her career and they seemed to openly adore each other after decades together. And now it’s all sh-tty and messy and I’m kind of wondering if their marriage will survive this. From Us Weekly’s cover story:
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy’s marriage is going through a rough patch following her alleged involvement in the nationwide college admissions scheme.
“Felicity and Bill have been arguing,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “The biggest concern is Felicity’s criminal case and how this is impacting their daughter.”
The couple, who tied the knot in September 1997, share daughters Sofia, 18, and Georgia, 17.
William H. Macy “is heartbroken” after his wife, Felicity Huffman, was arrested for her alleged role in the nationwide college admissions scam, a source reveals exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly. “He’s been in tears.”
A second source close to Huffman says in the new issue of Us that Macy is devastated by the scandal. “Felicity is crushed, and her husband is heartbroken,” the second source explains.
“They were caught red-handed in this FBI sting, but they’re both trying to justify it as something any parent would do for their child,” the Huffman source explains about the celebrity parents. “They’re loving moms who allegedly broke the law by cheating the system, so now they could be considered criminals.”
I wonder if at least some of the arguments are based on “why didn’t you get arrested too, motherf–ker?” Some of the details of the investigation have already become public, and it was clear that Macy was there for at least one meeting with William Singer and that Macy, along with Felicity, agreed to the SAT scheme with the proctor changing their daughter’s answers. I still don’t know why Macy was not arrested and charged. Maybe Felicity doesn’t understand either and it’s ripping them apart. Still, I don’t feel *that* bad about it. Clearly, they’re the kind of parents who thought nothing of pulling illegal sh-t for their daughters. I will say this: I don’t see Macy abandoning her. If they divorce, it’s because she wants it.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
They are only sad they got caught.
I do hope they learn their lessons and find a way to become better people from this. Right now it seems pretty hard to make up for it, but they weren’t the inventors of this. The problem is so much bigger. Hopefully they will realize that and start working to give scholarships to underprivileged students or something.
Not sad in the slightest. How many families of color are “torn apart” through FALSE arrests and or incarcerations due to low level infractions. From a WOC here, both siblings jailed- why?-minor offenses major poverty. I didn’t SEE it until this year. The odds are so stacked against and THANK GOD we ALL see it now.
Yeah, that’s kind of the sticking point for me – why shouldn’t these kids have to suffer a parent in jail or lose their school acceptance? Poor kids, particularly non-white ones, get screwed over all the time in America for their parents mistakes, however minor. Just because they’re rich doesn’t mean they shouldn’t eat the cost of their moral errors. In the long run, they’ll still be better off than any working or poverty class kid.
I said they are sad because they got caught- not that it IS sad that they got caught(your response makes me wonder if that wasnt clear).
And yes, POC can work twice as hard as a white person and never get anywhere. Unless you count prison. The reveal of this college scheme should scare a lot of rich people from doing this in the future though. Its not much but it is progress.
And I didnt mean to imply incarceration isnt necessary here- because it is. I was thinking even more long term.
Exactly. They’re sad because they got caught.
It’s a nice sentiment, but I doubt this will make them better people. I’d bet money on their current attitude being that it’s not that big a deal because “everyone does it” and they’re pissed that they got caught. And as for the kids, they’re definitely not going to learn anything from this. Loughlin’s daughters didn’t even want to go to college to learn, so if they get expelled it’s not like they care. Their parents have already raised them to be entitled brats and taught them to cheat rather than work hard. The damage is done there.
Yup, only sad they got caught.
disgusting .
So phony,
Sure, Macy’s “heartbroken” now that they got caught and outed as cheats. I have zero sympathy for any of these entitled fraudsters. Now if we can just get huge “donations” and underwriting of buildings for universities made illegal as a means of buying admission for wealthy lackluster students.
Why do people always say that? The older I get the more I realize I rarely know people’s motives or feelings, especially when I don’t know them personally. It’s possible though they are both upset, cause they got caught up in this crazy way of bulldozer parenting in this college system which is rigged anyway. Still very wrong and definitely not thinking about society as a whole, but different than the people who do it multiple times and make money off it. Obviously, a lot of people knew about doing this as this guy had a ton of clients. Society wise I am worried about the joiners who think well everyone’s doing it, then I can. As that is how a corrupt system grows. Personally, I hope they have a fair trial and pay the price if found guilty.
One thing that I have noticed a lot though is we really have given up on the presumption of innocence in our society. Even an accusation of guilt sometimes sends society in an uproar, and if you are arrested people automatically go to guilty. Sure she does look guilty, but emails can be altered or have a different meaning, and the only eye witness to the thing is the guy who profited the most from it. Plus haven’t we learned lately to at least be a bit wary. I mean does Jussie Smollet ring a bell, who may or may not be guilty, even Johnny Depp and his $50 million suit and 87 video tapes of abuse the other way. Honestly, I am happy celebitchy hasn’t covered Johnny’s defamation suit that much, as he gets a court case to either prove or not his side. I think gossip sites have jumped the gun a lot on these things lately, and not so much here but some sites really have a side they try to cheer on, and it’s kind of disappointing when they do have a legal avenue to pursue. It’s almost like trial by PR.
They released the transcript of the taped conversations and have emails. At what point do you stop giving them a benefit of the doubt?
Also, illegal claims of donations on your tax forms! That’s more than enough proof.
Exactly. I’m sure they would not regret breaking the law, if they weren’t caught. I really hope some of these parents do jail time. I say this not because I don’t have any empathy for these parents, but because there needs to a clear message to society that these sort of crimes are not or at least should not be tolerated. But white-collar criminals rarely go to prison.
Too bad you didn’t have this depth of feeling before you did such a shitty job parenting that you felt is was justifiable to do something illegal to get your kid into college instead of like you know, making sure they were getting an actual education so maybe they could get into school on their own merit.
Lori Loughlin is already firing the first salvos of “Well, it was right in her heart because she cares about her kids SO MUCH”. So do a lot of parents – they didn’t decide pay someone off to get their spoiled little snowflakes into a good school.
Yes, or maybe accepting that college isn’t the right path for your kid and helping guide them toward a path that makes sense for him/her.
These people.
Right? This is on the parents – they are the ones pushing “prestige” schools on their kids when they are clearly not the right candidates. Suck it up and take your licks.
Whoa. Tons of kids don’t flourish academically or feel the need for college and don’t have shitty parents. Felicity and Lori are shitty parents because they crossed legal, ethical and moral lines to get their kids into competitive schools. They’re shitty parents because they raised their kids to believe that wealth and status trump honesty and hard work.
Academic success can be an indication of parental failure but in no way is this always a given.
Macy’s involvement was related to the second daughter, and they didn’t go through with the scam. So what the feds have is proof of someone considering a crime, then deciding not to bother with it. That’s why he’s not charged.
I can imagine this being very difficult on their marriage. It’s a huge spotlight, they’re getting a bunch of (well-deserved) criticism, and she has to worry about going to prison no matter how unlikely. What I’m curious to know is how Felicity got the bargain price of $15k when other parents were paying hundreds of thousands.
Yep. And they can’t prove that he even knew about the first daughter until after the fact. I mean – who knows what happened there. Only them, likely.
That said- I’m sure it’s not easy on their marriage. But I also suspect a lot of this is just tabloid manufactured drama. I think it’s such a common thread for them to write about how something the wife did is tearing apart their family while painting the husband in a sympathetic light. I think it’s likely a scary (self-caused) time for them – not knowing what is going to happen. But if their marriage is as strong as it appears I doubt this will be the nail in the coffin. She has the argument that she thought she was doing the best she could for their children. It’s not like she was just out there buying meth or putting a hit on someone, or something that was in nobody’s best interest (not that the cheating is either, but I think her very criminal activity was probably based on idiotic, entitled, but ‘good’ intentions). Which would be a lot easier to deal with, think. They’ve likely hit a rough patch, but it’ll probably blow over.
I think and could be wrong it was only $15K because all they did (and is not okay) is have answers changed on her test. Whereas Lori had her girls get in by being on a rowing team (which they never were), had pictures taken to “prove” it and therefore probably had to pay out more bribe money for the coach, athletic director, etc.
You’re right. Huffman paid for the fake SAT, whereas Loughlin had to pony up for bribing the USC coach, too, which is much more expensive.
The only one I feel sorry for is their daughter as it appears she is one of the ones who didn’t know (Aunt Becky’s daughters took fake photos). That’s got to be a brutal gut punch.
I always mocked the Hollywood parents who engage in nepotism so their kids have careers as “models” or “DJs” (or god forbid “actors”), but wow that all seems rather quaint now.
+1, Mia4s. Imagine how it must feel to find out your parent have so little faith in your ability to navigate an established rite of passage on your own that they snuck around behind your back to make sure it would work out. (Actually, I don’t have to wonder but I was lucky – in my house “the only reason your head hasn’t fallen off is because it’s attached to your shoulders” was a said to my face, and in light of this scandal, I’m particularly grateful for that, as it gave me the ability to deal with it in therapy later!)
Ouch @cannibell, but you make a good point.
The hardest part for some of them to deal with (the ones that didn’t know) is likely going to be that even if they had some idea of their parents’ concerns, they’ve lost their outside reinforcement:
“Oh you don’t think I can do it! Well just look at my SAT score!”
“….ummmmm, well actually sweetie…”
Annnnd goodbye self-confidence! The damage these parents caused to the system, less privileged kids, and their OWN kids is mind-boggling.
Yup. My own college-student daughter has been following this as much as her own hard work lets her and she was proud to say that whatever she gets, she works for it. It almost doesn’t matter what the marks are – they belong to her and her alone.
Maybe that’s because we always told her, “We *did* our homework. Now it’s your turn.” What loving parents we are. : )
Something tells me that Macy and Huffman have been micro managing and making things easier for this kid her whole life. Parents like this start in preschool, they don’t get crazy all of a sudden.
I feel bad for her if she legitimately didn’t know because her parents made her complicit in a crime. My sympathy ends there, though. As I stated above, we expect children of other economic classes to suffer the ills of their parent’s mistakes all the time. If she gets thrown out of college, so be it. She’ll be fine.
I’m so intrigued by the unwillingness of these parents for their children to have – shock, horror – normal professions – or even, you know, contributing in society in some capacity.
When it not in front of the camera-entertainment industry, actor/model/singer it has to be photographer, producer etc.
There is one case I know of a celebrity offspring becoming a firefighter, which is amazing. But where are the doctors, lawyers, vets, IT developers, social workers, teachers, graphic designers, engineers. Why are all these people so utterly unwillng to work? They all collectively seem to despise living in the actual, real, world and don’t want that for their children.
My own personal opinion is that a lot of Hollywood parents are successful based on their looks and not their brains
The likelihood of two gorgeous but vapid people making a kid that’s smart enough to get into USC on their own merits is a long shot at best
This is one of the few times in my life that I’m kind of glad that my mother was working poor (working nights as a nurse to support 6 kids) and my father was a slippery dolt who somehow convinced a divorce court judge that he absolutely NEEDED a 4 bedroom penthouse suite and fancy sports car for as a divorced man living alone with his job as a suburban public high school athletic director who couldn’t possibly ever ever afford child support, alimony, or contributions to college tuition.
I went into college* knowing that no one had my back financially, so every semester, work study job, Pell Grant and student loan was mine and mine alone. No need for my parents to weigh in on whether or not I was capable or worthy of going to one college or another.
*Note, that was ages ago when a) college tuition was moderately affordable and b) federal assistance through loans, work study and grants was structured so as not to turn 22 year olds into indentured servants in exchange for a Bachelor’s degree.
Macy hasn’t been charged with a crime because they don’t have evidence. It’s as simple as that. Again, EVIDENCE of a crime is needed. I need more coffee & food this morning, clearly..
He is on one of the recordings, but did not actually complete the transaction. They have evidence of his knowledge. There could be charges leveraged against him later, though I doubt it. With spousal privilege and how insignificant his participation is, I do not forsee anything but a divorce.
He backed out & didn’t commit the necessary steps to commit a crime. Macy cannot be charged regardless of what the FBI heard on the recordings.
Man crying because him & his boo got caught in a crime to promote their unqualified offspring. I’m unmoved.
I remain so unmoved. Ha. The sad thing is MANY women of color go to jail for just being the partners of drug dealers. So think of him planning a divorce in his Hollywood home just kind of grates.
Many women of color go to jail for signing up their children with a relative’s address so they can go to a better public school because of the gross disparities in school districts relative to a racially discriminatory housing system.
I just keep seeing his weepy snivelling Fargo character now. I mean, what an echo: man commits fraud for family/self and can’t believe he gets caught. Marge, get on the case!
So they are playing the loving parent card? Let’s see how that works when the jurors who will hear their cases will most likely be not in their income bracket.
“Jury of their peers!” Now I wonder if attorneys will ask jurors about their bank accounts and lifestyles, and the jury box will look like the cast of an all-star reality TV show.
Ive already forgotten most of what Ive read about this issue. But I ask Was it only girl children affected. Theres been zero publicity for those parents who illegally got their boys into college.
William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, and Lori Loughlin have the highest profiles among people charged in the sting and they just happen to have all daughters. People who scammed to get their sons into schools were charged, you’re just not hearing as much about it right now.
Most of the stories I read about were about sons.One young man even did an interview with a newspaper basically apologizing for what his parents did. Another male student’s mom photoshopped his pic onto the body of a pole vaulter.As a matter of fact the only girls I have read about are Felicity and Lori’s daughters.All the others I have read about were boys including a “fake” soccer player.
Two kids that attended the school I went to were a bit dim and a bit troublesome – they got to stay at the school as their parents “donated” cough cough an all weather hockey pitch and several all weather tennis courts. Stuff like this happens all the time. I am surprised at why there are so many people are clutching their pearls in outrage TBH.
I agree that the effect is the same, but bribery is a crime, unlike donations, which technically don’t come with strings attached.
Because, although we all agree that your example is disgusting behavior, it’s not illegal. These parents were knowingly breaking the law. Mossimo and his wife (Loughlin? who is this woman, an actress?) even inveigled their teenage daughter to break the law.
ETA @Tina, your is better and more succinct.
There’s a difference in making a donation to grease the wheels on your kid’s acceptance, and buying your kid’s way in via a third party who uses doctored photos, fake test scores, crooked school officials, and phony disabilities. I, like many people, am wondering why these parents of means didn’t just make a donation to the school instead of spending half a million on fraud. It would have been distasteful but not illegal.
That’s what I wonder too. You can’t tell me if Lori Loughlin had legitimately donated $500,000 to USC that her kids wouldn’t have gotten in. I guess she was so hellbent on having it look like to her social circle that her kids were genius champion rowers that she couldn’t take that easy and legal route.
Bribery through donation isn’t illegal. These kids turned in falsified results from nationally regulated exams, abused disability options, and several of their parents committed tax and mail fraud on top of it. Most of us who are familiar with colleges are well aware of the legacy/old money system in place. It’s just usually not THIS tacky and indiscreet.
Its not pearl clutching. Its actual hard evidence that it is happening, not just theories and anecdotal stories.
Seemingly “victimless” crimes (mail fraud, tax fraud, bribery, laundering, etc) are still crimes. ESPECIALLY to the tune of millions of dollars.
I don’t think most people realized this was quite so widespread. Yes, people have donated buildings and things like the tennis courts you mentioned, but these things are thought of as not happening that often and they’re also things that benefit the entire student body.
Reality is students are now graduating being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt with no relief in sight.
The thought that other kids can get into the exact school of their choice, and graduate without any debt, just highlights income disparity at a time when people are hoping for huge changes when it comes to our educational system.
Also, there is evidence here that people can go online and read. In the past we could guess how this was done, we really didn’t get to see basically how the sausage was made. If you’ve had to deal with college admissions in the past decade, and seen how rigorous it is, the thought of just calling someone and being able to choose exactly what school you want your kid to go to is rage inducing.
It also helps to undermine the whole “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” narrative a lot of the wealthy tend to peddle. It’s important for this kind of information to come out because you can see just how hypocritical these people are and how happily they’ll rig the system against everybody else to maintain their money and status.
The thing is that probably most of these kids could get into a college – but they couldn’t get into the “brand” of college that their parents wanted – elite, exclusive, “selective”. There are plenty of colleges in the U.S. where kids who are not “stars” can get a good education. But eduction was not the point of this parental exercise. It was prestige (for them as well as for their offspring). And of course meeting the “right” people.
Yes to everything you said. The level of elitism is mind blowing. I’m so freaking proud of my college student, who is in a state university that he busted his ass to get into and which seems like the perfect fit for him. Not to mention thousands of others.
It’s no mystery why Macy wasn’t charged. He’s only on tape making plans to help daughter #2 cheat and they didn’t go through with it. No crime, no charges.
Felicity is charged with helping daughter #1 cheat and there’s zero evidence that Macy was involved or even knew about it that time.
It’s all so disgusting it’s become tedious and a drag to read about it.
He SHOULD be crying – they cheated, lied, bribed, and got caught. He’s just lucky there’s no evidence on him, or they’d both have been arrested and facing jail time. Not to mention they pretty much blew up their kids’ lives and made their futures a lot more difficult.
This whole scam has so many levels of white privilege. I just read an article in the Atlantic about low-income students who are admitted into elite schools. One of the most heartbreaking things these schools do to stigmatize low-income students on scholarship is work/study that’s beyond working in the bookstore. At some schools, students are made to clean the bathrooms, mop the floors, of their privileged peers. Can you imagine sitting in class next to Olivia Jade after you (quoted straight from the story) “Picked up a used tampon, cleaned up their vomit, and discard their used condom.” Another heartbreaking example is the closing the cafeteria while students are on break, without the consideration that those low-income students have no money to fly back home during the breaks. One girl told a story of using Tindr dates as a way to eat dinner. Another mentioned going to food pantries to stock up on food over the winter break. But these two idiots are arguing with each other over their dumb daughter.
Jesus, that’s horrifying. At some point, you wonder if it’s even worth getting into them if it doesn’t pay off in the long run.
It will totally pay off in the long run, but it’s horrible how badly they are treated while in school. Going to a good, prestige school makes a much bigger difference for low-income students than it does for people like Miss YouTube Eyebrows.
@Iknow — I was on work/study at an elite US university and I never heard of mandatory custodial work. There was custodial work as an option, esp. during breaks if you didn’t go home, but it was optional and it paid more than the other work/study jobs so some students took it. Being a custodian isn’t something to be ashamed of; it’s not a crime.
Ellie, I didn’t mean to say the custodial work was something to be ashamed of. I would clean up much worse to be able to graduate debt from an elite college. The point is, in some ways, it is singling out the low-income kids and making them other. I was reporting what a researcher from Harvard reported after interviewing hundreds of minority students at elite universities. No matter what, in this day and age, the optics of black and brown kids, cleaning up after rich, white kids isn’t a good look. For the kids who were interviewed, there was something degrading about it. I truly don’t believe custodial work, in dorms, should be an option.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/03/privileged-poor-navigating-elite-university-life/585100/
Wow, that’s crazy. I hope it pays off in the long run for those students, but that’s got to be tough.
I went to a huge university that has hundreds of work study jobs, and none of them are maintenance positions like that, it’s all help desk, lab assistance, office work, and most of the time they try to match someone’s job to their area of study. They also keep at least a few dining options open during breaks. It can be easy to get lost in the shuffle of a big university like that, but there are some benefits to it like that.
That’s repulsive and should be illegal inside any University, no matter how “prestigious”.
Low income doesn’t always mean people of color. There are rich kids who go to Ivy League schools that are not White. There are also plenty of low income people who are White. I hate when we automatically assume low income equals minority. That’s not always the case. As a person of color it really bothers me when people assume I must be low income because of the color of my skin. I know in this case the story was about minority kids, but I’m just talking about in general how us poc are perceived.
That is true. And as a black woman I am sensitive to that. You’re right, there are plenty of low-income students who are not black or brown. I had a very visceral feeling after reading the article. The truth is, like you said, many minorities who are at these elite schools are automatically assumed that they’re there because of affirmative action and are there because of a “handout”. They’re automatically stigmatized. White students, who are low-income, are not automatically assumed that they don’t belong. But you’re right.
I thought about that, too, while I reading the article, but given the recent controversy over Harvard’s photography collections, I think the racial element of economic discrepancies is significant there. Because statistically, non-whites are less likely to be part of those higher income groups, and part of that has been because access to places like those elite schools was hard-won because they purposefully shut out both lower class and non-white ethnic groups for so long. Some of these colleges even have pretty distinct and well-known histories linked to slavery and exploitation of those economics. So the optics are bad no matter what the student’s ethnic background is because of the class discrepancy on display, but it takes on another facet of problematic when you add that in due to the historical abuses of POC by these schools.
Wow, sounds really dumb! I believe though that everyone should work as a cleaner and a server at some point in their life. As mandatory service, no matter how wealthy you are.
Macy and Huffman are exposed, and so they’re having “sources” let us know how dreadfully sorry they are and it was all done out of Parental Love. What else have they cheated on to get things in life? Behavior like this doesn’t come out of nowhere.
Macy isn’t being charged because he’s rich, famous, male, and white. People are charged with crimes based on flimsy evidence every day. The charges against him may not have stood, but he is definitely being treated with kid gloves.
Imagine a car with four poor kids in it. One kid gets caught with drugs and arrested. The other three kids are heard talking about accepting drugs but decline. What are the odds all the kids get arrested?
Crisis PR to make them look sympathetic has begun. Tears! Heartbroken! Wanting the best for the children!
They are actors. They actually have a leg up on other accused parents, because they can PR and method act their way through this.
They’re low down and dirty. I won’t forget and neither will millions of others. I’m enraged sitting here reading about kids trying their very hardest to get through school and having to almost starve in the process, and these jokers think a few tears will make the masses love them again?
MTE. When I think of the young people who are trying as hard as they can and NEED to better their lives via education, it makes me both sad and angry.
Actually, Mamet & Macy’s school of acting at NYU/Tisch focuses on character analysis, so he’s going to delve into the WHY they did it schtick. (Ok, SOME sarcasm here….couldn’t resist lol) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Bravo 👏👏👏
When art imitates life???
You get what you what you get and you don’t get upset… clearly they missed out on that part
Maybe I’m the opposite side of bad parents doing everthing, and crucify if you must, but out of three boys, each very different, I never did, nor am I doing the youngest’s, homework. Projects, papers, nothing. Even in prek and early elementary, I simply wouldn’t. Sure I read to them, and I’d read the frakking grocery store to them when they were very young, I’d talk their ears off in the car and then play Alice in Chains and STP. They ask homework questions, and maybe sometimes I dance around the answer, but normally it’s, “I don’t know did you read the chapters? Don’t Google anything until you finish reading.” It must have been angering for them lol.
I wasn’t quite as opposite as you, but I didn’t do much either. I do remember a few things that bothered me. I hated the teachers that wanted the parents to be part of the project. I was a single mom, and it was tough to do that, especially science projects since it wasn’t my field.
The only defense I will give for these parents is the system is crazy, and it’s easier than you think to get caught up in it. My daughter was into youth sports and it’s a whole game where you get caught up in more teams, everyone wins something, then more supposed “national” sports teams. I kept watching my daughter some said she was great and others said not, and I’m looking at her thinking she’s okay. People tell you she might get a scholarship so you go on. I didn’t know the ends and outs of the system and being a single mom who never did this, I didn’t figure it out. Just like the college admission scandal I just felt like there was some group who knew how this worked and wasn’t sharing as some less talented kids got recruited. Kids were getting verbally committed as freshman which is supposed to be against NCAA rules. My saving grace was after it ended and the initial drama for her, she really didn’t care about it that much. Still I would see some of the other parents I knew fighting tooth and nail, I hope legally, to get their kids into schools. You hope people won’t fall over to the illegal side, but my fear is there are so many and the competition we have made is crazy. No wonder teen suicide and depression is so high. I don’t really care about these parents, and they should be punished. Although making an example of them really won’t change the parents much. The society and how we place such an emphasis on the schools needs to change. Granted this is a step way too far, but the step right before it isn’t good either.
It’s all about the money really. With my two older boys, we lived in this little bubble of a suburb where the median income was crazy. We started the whole football thing at age seven. It was super clear in these kinds of organizations that donations give their kids boosts, expensive parties, the entire nine yards of bribery. I can’t be too detached because as a high school dancer, my dad did the same effing thing. If a raffle wasn’t going well, he bought all the tickets, shit like that. My middle son was really really good with sports and academics, and you simply wouldn’t believe how much pressure we were constantly under to do this or that, or donate this or that. It was very simple though, we didn’t and don’t have that kind of throw-around money. The entire system, organizational structures from pre-k to college, from art classes, ballet to science camps, everything is tilted towards money. All of it.
If I were Huffman I would be thanking my lucky stars for my husband not being arrested. At least her kids can keep one parent and he can keep working. He was in on it, too, but it seems SHE managed everything (mails, phone calls, etc) so she’s the one stuck in jail.
It’s funny how the stories are being spun so that we are now supposed to have sympathy for these people. NOPE !
Maybe he’s upset because his now his oldest daughter won’t get to go to college? What school would accept you after SAT fraud?
Meanwhile, Kelly Williams Bolar is going to jail because she used a relative’s address so her kid could attend a school in a better district. Whatever Macys.
Talk about rage inducing 😡😡
I feel compassion for these parents. They have flown too close to the sun.
I hope we can all learn from this horrible situation. Parents, let your children grow into who they are. Not who you wish they could be. Somebody pointed out that a lot of these celebrity kids don’t even need a post secondary education. They are already set on their paths.. Olivia Jade for example.
And maybe we need to look at the person, not the school they graduated from. We are all so focused on how other people see us. How about how we see ourselves. I would rather have a doctor who graduated from a minor medical school who became a doctor because they cared about people than a doctor from a big fancy school who only went into it because daddy or mommy was a doctor and really just wants the big money.
Our resentment and bitterness towards those who we perceive as more fortunate than ourselves could do with some examination. As we have just seen money and power does not necessarily lead to happiness.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone
I really like this couple and they do have a good reputation in Hollywood. But he’s heartbroken because it impacts his career – their careers. For all the good they’ve built up, it’s shattered now. People will always remember them like this and he knows it. Did you see the properties they own? They’re amazing wealthy. And that cat is out of the bag too.
“But he’s heartbroken because it impacts his career – their careers. For all the good they’ve built up, it’s shattered now.”
THIS ^^^ I am thinking he will divorce her…..because he can’t get over that. I am sure this isn’t the first true test of the strength of their marriage/love for each other – but I bet it will be the biggest……
It’s embarrassing for them and no one likes being embarrassed but I’m not going to remember this six months from now and certainly since he wasn’t even charged with anything I’m not going to not see his movies. He’s a great actor. I don’t think actors are pillars of our society – they are entertaining. People who use celebrities as role models should really re-think their own value system.
I don’t even think at the end of the day she ends up with a felony conviction. I think she’ll plea down and pay a bunch of fines and lay low and in a year it’ll be like it never happened.
Mail fraud and tax evasion and cheating on the SAT for entrance to an elite private school after a year of #metoo and all the horrible shit people do to each other just seems pale in comparison.
The mythical poor kid robbed of his place at USC by one of these trust fund kids just doesn’t exist.
The system is so messed up and people who think legal bribes are okay because it’s legal on a technicality are ridiculous.
Oh please, gmab. He knew what they were doing but now he has to save his career. Typical 🥴
I’m sorry but these aren’t your run of the mill overzealous parents. Those types enroll their 3 year olds in Mandarin classes and have their kids schedules planned to the minute. At least those kids are actually doing the things they think will get them into Ivies. There is a huge difference between trying to get your kid to do what he/she can be lying about the kid doing something.
“Devastated” and “heartbroken” are words people use when something has happened TO them. They are not appropriate words to use when you have done acted deliberately yourself.
Every time I see these two, I can’t help but think of them as that Stephen Colbert created portmanteau, Filliam H. Muffman.
Eh. I have always enjoyed WHM’s work, but don’t feel too sorry for any of these people. They’ve all done real, identifiable damage.
In every single one of these cases, the damage is real: Universities limit the number of admittances every year. That means that students who are hard-working and deserving didn’t get into university so that these underachievers could waltz in with cash and take an underserved spot.
Entire families and communities worked hard for years, sacrificed, did everything right, and their children were rejected in favour of rich kids with rich parents.
When these people address the problems they’ve caused and the damage they’ve done, we can maybe talk about how sad they are.
Maybe.
I better not hear shittalk about unqualified kids getting into college bc of affirmative action.
What if a parent who is too poor to afford to send their child to college goes out and robs a bank to get money – out of “parental love” for their child? Does that make it okay?
When they’ve been caught, tried and sentenced for the crime, is the “parental love” excuse considered to be a mitigating factor?