Scandal uncovered! Stars Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were just the tip of the iceberg in the 2019 college admissions scandal — and the truth is going to be exposed in the upcoming Varsity Blues documentary.
REELZ dropped a new trailer for its expose, College Admissions Scandal: Varsity Blues, ahead of the documentary’s release on Saturday, February 8. The clip teases that “the celebrities were only the beginning of this scandal” that led to arrests over parents allegedly paying large amounts of money to get their children into college.
“I know that the college admissions system is rigged, because I helped rig it,” a shadowed figure says in the trailer, promising a deep dive with this special investigation film.
The documentary will work to expose how the well-to-do parents of some college-aged students allegedly took part in illegal schemes to get their teens into prestigious universities across the U.S.
Some reportedly worked with athletic coaches to fake a background in a sport so their child got accepted, while others apparently turned to college counselors who rigged the system and got the kids through the SAT testing phase with ease.
REELZ’s film will answer the question of whether the cases of “Operation Varsity Blues,” which saw charges brought against 50 people in six states — including the Desperate Housewives alum and Fuller House star — are a new phenomenon or part of a much bigger, longer-running and more tainted college admissions system.
Huffman, 57, is trying to move on from the scandal after pleading guilty to having a proctor correct her 19-year-old daughter Sophia’s SAT scores. The actress served 11 days of a two-week prison sentence last October. The When They See Us actress, who is married to Shameless star William H. Macy, also had to pay a fine of $30,000 and take part in community service for the Teen Project.
Loughlin, 55, and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were charged with bribery for allegedly paying $500,000 to have their daughters Bella, 21, and Olivia Jade, 20 recruited to the University of Southern California’s crew team, despite the fact that they are not competitive rowers.
The duo, who pled not guilty to the charges, filed a motion in Massachusetts federal court in December 2019 accusing the FBI of withholding evidence that the Full House alum claimed would exonerate her and her fashion designer husband.
In January 2020, the government responded by releasing a 526-page motion of papers that seemingly strengthened the case against the couple. Despite being heavily redacted, the documents show exchanges between the When Calls the Heart alum and college consultant William Rick Singer that revealed how they allegedly worked together to create fake profiles for Bella and Olivia Jade as rowing recruits.
Loughlin and Giannulli face up to 40 years in prison on fraud, bribery and money-laundering charges. They are set to appear in court in October 2020.
College Admissions Scandal: Varsity Blues airs on REELZ on Saturday, February 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
