How far can a parent go for his/her kid? We’ve realized that we have a little bit of meat left on the old Rick Singer bone and that is why we decided to make a bonus episode! We cover the cases of actresses Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Lori Laughlin (Full House), and her husband Mossimo Giannulli (Yes, the 90s Mossimo jeans guy). It seemed like these celebrities made some generous “donations” to the Key Worldwide Foundation but in reality, they were paying to get their daughters into top universities. What led them to make those decisions? How did they all end up? Are they part of our beloved fraudsters? Tune in and discover with great details how far these celebs went for their kids!

TIMESTAMPS

(02:07) - We’re covering one of Hollywood’s scandals in hope that, maybe, we can figure out what led the people involved to make the decisions they did. Let’s start with Felicity Huffman!

(08:40) - Art imitating life? Felicity’s career takes off with Desperate Housewives and her tendency to play the role of the well-intended mother. 

(13:37) - Freeze! Felicity is arrested in 2019 for giving $15K to the Key Worldwide Foundation to get her daughter the extra 400 points she needed for her SAT to audition for drama school. 

(23:52) - Doing the same scheme next year for her younger daughter, aborting the mission due to Huffman’s guilt which eventually helped her case (in addition to Eva Longoria’s support letter).

(25:40) - Huffman’s lawyers argue that “she was being unfairly persecuted for being rich,” and the sentence she had to face. Also, what happened to Sofia?

(29:46) - Introducing the fraudster couple: Actress Lori Laughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli. 

(38:33) - Let’s focus on Olivia Jade’s story because the scheme in her case is better and, well, more documented: The fake athletes and the sentences her parents had to face. 

(45:29) - “I’ve been to one class and I already want to die,” Olivia Jade on USC. Also, we talk with Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz about Olivia Jade on the Red Table Talk.

RESOURCES

Desperate Housewives, meet the housewives

Olivia Jade on the Red Table Talk

Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of College Admissions Scandal by Melissa Korn, Jennifer Levitz

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