Felicity Huffman Says Her 'Old Life Died' After College Admissions Scandal

Felicity Huffman recently reflected on how her life has changed since the news of her infamous college admissions scandal broke, saying that she feels as though her old life died.

In an interview with The Guardian published on Monday, the Desperate Housewives alum discussed the massive scandal, known as Operation Varsity Blues, and her upcoming role in a revival of Taylor Macs play, Hir, in Londons Park Theatre. 

How I am is kind of a loaded question, she said. As long as my kids are well and my husband is well, I feel like Im well.

Im grateful to be here, she continued, referencing the play which is set to premiere in Park Theatre on Feb. 15. But how am I? I guess Im still processing.

Huffman, who is married to fellow actor William H. Macy, then alluded to her two-week prison sentence, in which she served 11 days in 2019 after pleading guilty to committing mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in May of that year. 

I did a pilot for ABC recently that didnt get picked up, she said. Its been hard. Sort of like your old life died and you died with it. Im lucky enough to have a family and love and means, so I had a place to land.

Im not in any way whitewashing what I did but some people have been kind and compassionate. Others have not, she added.

The Emmy winner had admitted to paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to correct her oldest daughters answers on the SAT. In addition to her prison sentence, she was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine and serve one year of supervised release and 250 hours of community service. 

Huffman previously opened up about her life since the nationwide admissions scheme imploded in 2019, telling Los Angeles KABC-TV in a widely-panned interview  that she felt at the time that she had to give her daughter a chance at a future.

And so it was sort of like my daughters future, which meant I had to break the law, she said, later adding, I know hindsight is 20/20 but it felt like I would be a bad mother if I didnt do it. So I did it.