Supporting a good friend. Eva Longoria came to her former Desperate Housewives costar Felicity Huffman’s defense following her legal trouble amid the nation’s largest college admissions bribery scandal.
“I think she has a heart that is bigger than the sun and that’s the Felicity I know and that’s the woman I choose to support and love,” Longoria, 44, told Entertainment Tonight at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Annual Grants Banquet on on Wednesday, July 31. “She was humbled by what happened and I think she did handle it with as much grace as she could in that situation.”
Huffman, 56, was named among a list of more than 50 individuals — including fellow actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli — who were accused in March of paying bribes to aid in their childrens’ acceptance into major universities. Stanford, Yale and Georgetown were among the schools affected by the scam.
Huffman was accused of paying $15,000 to a faux charitable organization — which was linked to the scandal’s ringleader, Rick Singer — that helped boost her daughter Sofia Grace Macy’s SAT score. She was arrested on March 10, and later released on a $250,000 bond. She eventually pled guilty to all charges in May.
“I had no knowledge of Mr. Singer paying (others). Everything else (prosecutors) said I did, I did,” the Golden Globe winner said in court, according to CNN. A source told Us Weekly that Huffman “was crying” when she confessed to the crime. She could face a jail sentence of up to four to 10 months.
The actress revealed in April that she would plead guilty to the crime alongside 13 others involved in the scandal.
“I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,” Huffman said in a statement. “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.”
Huffman stars alongside Patricia Arquette and Angela Bassett in Netflix’s upcoming movie Otherhood, out Friday, August 2. The film follows a trio of moms feeling neglected on Mother’s Day who decides to drive up to New York City to visit their sons.
Netflix delayed the film’s release in April following Huffman’s involvement in the college admissions controversy.
