'Shameful': Celebs react to college admissions scandal involving Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin
While many celebrities are keeping mum on “Operation Varsity Blues” — the massive college admission cheating scheme that took down Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin — others can’t resist.
As details continue to come out about the fraud, in which rich folks allegedly paid big bucks to get their kids into elite colleges, stars are weighing in on social media. There is “disgust” over the scam, in which 50 people in six states are accused of wrongdoing, and both the parents and their “shitty kids” are being criticized.
Sarah Silverman, who said her father footed the bill for her at NYU, wrote, “I was shocked at all the rich kids whose parents ‘made them’ go to college,” perhaps a dig at Fuller House star Loughlin, who, along with her husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly paid a $500,000 to bribe to have their daughters go to the University of Southern California while one, Instagram influencer Olivia Jade, infamously said she doesn’t care about her education and was going to college to party. “Seriously – let someone who wants to learn go in your shitty kid’s place.”
I went to NYU for 1 yr w/ a very small scholarship ($1500 per semester) and my dad paid the rest. I was shocked at all the rich kids whose parents “made them” go to college. Seriously- let someone who wants to learn go in your shitty kid’s place.
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) March 12, 2019
Olivia Munn also made fun of the kids who “only have dreams of being an influencer.”
The irony will be that these parents spent all this money to hustle into top universities and are now in the middle of this shit show just to find out in a few years that their kids only have dreams of being an influencer 🙈
— Olivia Munn (@oliviamunn) March 12, 2019
I went to Harvard to be an Instagrammer. #ad #abs #fittea #waisttrainer #fitnessgoals #matchamornings #keto #lchf #superfoodmuffins https://t.co/LXgGA5jl6i
— Olivia Munn (@oliviamunn) March 12, 2019
Breaking Bad alum Dean Norris was “disgusted” by the whole thing, as someone who worked his butt off to get into Harvard “against long odds.” He wrote that his family “didn’t have money 2 even pay for SAT prep … let alone bribes.” He called it “shameful.”
I got into Harvard against long odds via hard work and perseverance. Neither of my parents went to college, we didn’t have money 2 even pay for SAT prep course let alone bribes. Shameful. It’s hard enuf for working class kids 2 succeed w/o rich privilege taking opportunity away.
— dean norris (@deanjnorris) March 12, 2019
When I think of all the kids who studied hard, stayed up late, had part time jobs to pay for their college application fees, and then were denied rightly deserved places in elite colleges because some rich fuckwads cheated for their already privileged kids— I’m disgusted.
— dean norris (@deanjnorris) March 12, 2019
I shall now breathe deep and go beat the shit out of a punching bag.
— dean norris (@deanjnorris) March 12, 2019
George Lopez tied the scandal to Trump and politics. “Let me get this straight.. They were faking documents so their children can have a better life… Hmmm,” said a meme he posted on Instagram.
A post shared by George 🇲🇽 Lopez (@georgelopez) on Mar 12, 2019 at 4:54pm PDT
Rob Lowe patted his sons on the back. When his son John tweeted about the scandal being “really, really gross,” Lowe replied “Very proud of my honest, hardworking sons.” However, he later curiously deleted the tweet.
Still proud of this achievement. Happy for everyone out there who earned their accomplishments…and really sad for those who were never allowed the opportunity. pic.twitter.com/P7rDMGJfuU
— John Owen Lowe (@Johnny_L0we) March 12, 2019
Donald Trump Jr. even commented, resharing an old Huffman tweet, but he was quickly criticized.
I’m learning some new ones as we speak. Stay tuned. https://t.co/ftJjYtMUxt
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 12, 2019
And, of course, James Van Der Beek, star of the movie Varsity Blues, weighed in on Operation Varsity Blues with his comment going viral on Tuesday.
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… https://t.co/cxOTDI5J1B
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) March 12, 2019
Here are some other reactions from celebrities:
Jussie Smollett is having his best day in MONTHS. #VarsityBlues
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 13, 2019
I got into college the old fashioned way: by letting my father’s celebrity speak for itself.
— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) March 12, 2019
When my oldest was in high school I panicked abt college. I put her in the best college preparatory school I could find since I had 0 experience. She set her eyes on 3 top schools. We applied and she was accepted at all 3. Only cost me a few $ in application fees 🤷?♀?
— Nicole Eggert (@NicoleEggert) March 12, 2019
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
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) March 12, 2019
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
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) March 12, 2019
BREAKING NEWS: ENTRANCE INTO COLLEGE UNJUST, TILTED IN FAVOR OF WHITE KIDS WITH RICH PARENTS.
— Full Frontal (@FullFrontalSamB) March 12, 2019
“Operation Varsity Blues” sounds like something Michael Scott cooked up
— Ike Barinholtz (@ikebarinholtz) March 12, 2019
This college scandal is really called “Operation Varsity Blues”. You gotta love the feds have a sense of humor and great taste in movies. Personally I would’ve gone “Blue Chips”
— Chris Harrison (@chrisbharrison) March 12, 2019
On late night last night, there were jokes aplenty. The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah said, “I’m so disappointed in you, Aunt Becky. I expected this from a Desperate Housewife, but you?!”
On the Late Show, Stephen Colbert quipped that he wasn’t shocked by Loughlin’s involvement, joking that she was previously “part of a notorious scheme where they made a pair of twins pretend to be one person,” referring to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen playing Michelle Tanner on Full House.
It’s not all bad. Huffman had some very public support from playwright David Mamet. “I’ve known Felicity Huffman for those 35 years, she was my student, my colleague, worked in many of my films and created roles on stage in three of my plays,” Mamet said. “That a parent’s zeal for her children’s future may have overcome her better judgment for a moment is not only unfortunate, it is, I know we parents would agree, a universal phenomenon.”
Huffman appeared in court yesterday — and Macy was there in the front row to support her. The FBI referenced the Shameless actor in its court documents that stated Huffman paid $15,000 to the fraud service to boost her older daughter Sophia Macy’s SAT scores. However, he hasn’t been charged with anything so far.
Loughlin was supposed to be taken into custody on Tuesday — when her husband was arrested at their home and hit with $1 million bond — but she was in Canada working. On Wednesday morning, she was taken into custody and her bail will be set during a court appearance later today.
Her Instagram influencer daughters, also including Isabella Giannulli, have been radio silent on social media. Loughlin deleted her own social media pages in the wake of the scandal.
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