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Celebrities are speaking out about the nationwide college admissions scam that actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were allegedly involved in.
“Very proud of my honest, hardworking sons,” Rob Lowe tweeted on Tuesday, March 12, alongside a throwback photo that his 24-year-old son, John, shared upon graduating from Stanford University in June 2018. John wrote in the original post, “Still proud of this accomplishment. Happy for everyone out there who earned their accomplishments…and really sad for those who were never allowed the opportunity.”
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James Van Der Beekalso weighed in on the scheme by poking fun at its name, Operation Varsity Blues. “If only there was a succinct turn of phrase these kids could have used to inform their parents they were not desirous of their life path…” the 42-year-old actor, who starred in 1999’s Varsity Blues, tweeted.
Rob Lowe and James Van Der BeekJeff Spicer/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images
The racketeering conspiracy made headlines on Tuesday, March 12, after charges were brought against coaches at schools including Stanford, USC, Yale, Georgetown and others. Test administrators also came under fire for fabricating test results.
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Huffman, 56, was accused of making “a purported charitable contribution of $15,000 … to participate in the college entrance cheating scheme” to secure her 18-year-old daughter Sofia’s spot at an elite university, according to documents obtained by ABC News. She shares Sofia and daughter Georgia, 16, with husband William H. Macy, who was spotted arriving at court for Huffman’s hearing on Tuesday.
Th documents also claim Loughlin, 54, and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly “agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew tam — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew — thereby facilitating their admission to USC.”
Huffman and Giannulli were arrested on Tuesday, and a warrant has been issued for Loughlin’s arrest.
Bethenny Frankelspoke out about the Fuller House star’s alleged actions to obtain admission for her daughters, Bella, 20, and Olivia, 19, into USC. “But wait, how do the kids not know they got in on a crew scholarship? If you ask your kid to stand in front of a crew boat, aren’t they curious? I’m just confused all around,” the Real Housewives of New York City star tweeted on Tuesday. “These kids know. If a kid isn’t smart enough to know their leg isn’t broken or they don’t take crew or that it’s not their bar mitzvah that day, they should be applying to bubblegum University. Rich parents further protecting the kids. Ok I’ll stop… maybe.”
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Lena Dunhamadded: “All the people involved in this college scam should have gathered their money and started a small elite college where Lori Loughlin teaches a class on smiling. My parents didn’t care enough about college to scam but they’d definitely buy me a boyfriend who is willing to sit with me at the ER.”
Erika Jaynetalked to Us Weekly exclusively about the alleged scam at the grand opening of the MCM Global Flagship on Rodeo Drive on Friday, March 15. “I don’t think it’s new. I think it’s been going on since the beginning of time,” she said. She added that anyone who is surprised “must be dumb because everybody’s doing it, celebrity or not.”
Along the same vein,Angela Bassettwasn’t shocked by the scandal. “To the degree that it was Photoshopping, and other folks taking tests and making your kid think that they’re taking the test, yeah, I was … disappointed,” she told Us at the PaleyFest Los Angeles 9-1-1 event on Sunday, March 17. “But it doesn’t surprise me.”
Model Coco Rochais choosing to use the scandal as a teaching moment. “When my kids come to that age or anything where they want to do something, you gotta do it on your own,” she said at the Neiman Marcus Hudson Yards grand opening on Thursday, March 14. “It’s a good life lesson.”
As for Katie Couric, she spoke to Us at the Mumbai Hotel screening on Sunday, March 17. “It’s shocking and upsetting, but I do think it’s an opportunity to reevaluate the whole system, how it works and the madness that is often associated with getting into a top college,” she said about the scandal. “It’s become such a rat race, and I think people have lost perspective, and I think it just underscores this inequality that exists in our culture.”
Julia Roberts attends The 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 13, 2019 in Santa Monica, California.Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Julia Roberts weighed in on the scandal on March 15, telling ITV, “That to me is so sad because I feel, from an outsider, that it says a little bit, ‘I don’t have enough faith in you.’ … My husband [Danny Moder] and I are very aligned on that front. I think that we live a very normal experience with our children. Obviously, we have advantages that we didn’t have as children. But I think that’s the unique part of it, coming from the childhood that I have. You do need to know how to make your bed and do your laundry and make one meal. These are important life skills.”
Scroll down for more celebrity reactions to the controversy.
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My dad: (snaps fingers)
Fleegle from The Banana Splits enters, carrying a briefcase of $20 bills
Don’t even joke. It is such a disservice to their children. So much entitlement. Teaches that u don’t have to work hard. It’s disgusting. Esp to those that work their asses off in school and do community service and care about getting a good education. Morality! Integrity!
