Actress Felicity Huffman served a 12-day prison sentence last October for paying to have her daughter’s SAT grades boosted, giving her an advantage in college admissions. Her role in the much-publicized college admissions scandal that also involved performer Lori Loughlin had an especially negative effect on her oldest daughter, Sophia Grace. Now, Sophia has been accepted to a prestigious college after re-taking the test.
The Felicity Huffman College Scandal
Huffman and Sophia Macy were embroiled in a college admissions scandal last year that saw Loughlin plead not guilty to charges of bribery. By contrast, Huffman pleaded guilty to charges that she paid an SAT proctor $15,000 to boost Macy’s test score. Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison, of which she served 12.
“In my desperation to be a good mother I talked myself into believing that all I was doing giving my daughter a fair shot,” Huffman said in a letter to Judge Indira Talwani. “When my daughter looked at me and asked with tears streaming down her face, ‘Why didn’t you believe in me? Why didn’t you think I could do it on my own?’ I had no adequate answer for her.”
A Daughter Suffers the Consequences
Macy’s father, actor William H. Macy, has said she “has paid the dearest price” for her mother’s actions. As a result of the scandal, Macy lost a spot at her unspecified first choice school, who withdrew the invitation as she was on her way to audition for the school’s drama program. “She called us from the airport in hysterics,” her father recalled in his own letter to Talwani. Macy also suffered nightmares following an FBI raid on the family home that ended in her mother’s arrest, according to Yahoo.
A Second Chance at College
However, the months following the scandal have seen Macy picking up the pieces of her life. She has reportedly retaken the SATs, earning scores on her own high enough to earn admission to Carnegie Mellon. Macy’s own acting career also looks poised to take off. She recently secured a role in an episode of CBS All Access’s The Twilight Zone reboot.
“Felicity is so proud and grateful that Sophia has kept her chin up over the last year,” a source close to the family reportedly told Page Six. “It was a painful, challenging time and she pulled through it with strength and grace.”