The Untold Truth Of Felicity Huffman

You've undoubtedly heard of Felicity Huffman, whether or not you're a fan of her work. The actress might have a stellar resume, but her life was completely changed when she was found to be involved in the college admissions scandal that rocked a lot of Hollywood and other rich and powerful people. But nevertheless, scandal aside, Huffman was a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.

And really, her life has been pretty interesting, even before all the drama took place. Huffman is well-known for her many acting roles, but she's also so much more than that. She is a wife, a mother, and someone whose world was completely shaken after a huge, life-changing event. Say what you like about Huffman and what she's done, but there's no way anyone can ignore the fact that she is talented, is well-spoken, and has come such a long way since she first launched into the spotlight. The untold truth about Felicity Huffman is that her life before and after the college admissions scandal is worth looking into because she's been through some tough times.

If there was one show that practically defined Felicity Huffman in the public eye, it's Desperate Housewives. The ABC drama followed the lives of four women living in a cul-de-sac, and the intense turmoil that followed them. Huffman played Lynette Scavo, a frantic mother of five, until the show came to an end after eight seasons in 2012. (Here's the real reason Desperate Housewives ended after Season 8.)

Huffman wrote for her now-defunct blog, WhatTheFlicka.com, that she "cried all over" the script when she had her final table read for Desperate Housewives, according to Us Weekly. Huffman also told Us Weekly that ending the series was "like leaving your hometown for college." She shared, "It's been eight years, but it's been a really dense eight years, and I think series and actors live in dog years, so every one year is actually seven! We've actually been doing this series for 56 years," she joked. "Which also makes it a little easier to swallow because it's like, 'Oh, 56 years?! It's time to go!'" 

Dog years or not, Desperate Housewives was a long chapter in Huffman's life, and a hugely significant one as well. Too bad a Desperate Housewives revival will never happen.

Felicity Huffman may be a rich and successful actor, but that doesn't mean she always had it easy or didn't struggle throughout life. In fact, in a 2015 interview with Tribune News Service, Huffman went into detail about her battle with depression. And as tragic as that was for her, she got through it.

"I went through a very, very dark three years, and that deep despair and depression changed me," Huffman explained in the interview. She also hinted at having suicidal thoughts and struggles. "It was that kind of depression where I just wished I was dead, that kind of relentless — I just wished I was dead," she continued. Fortunately, Huffman's circle of family and friends were able to help her through it. 

"It was kind of the crucible, from 28 to 31," she said of when her depression took hold. "That dark time changed me, I think, for the better." Huffman clearly had to come to terms with her mental health, and ,as she said, therapy truly helped her. No one is immune to depression, including celebs like Huffman.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

No matter how happy Felicity Huffman was to marry William H. Macy, she still struggled a bit with marriage as a concept. Of course, she loved Macy, but did she really want to marry him? As it turns out, it took more than one proposal and a whole lot of self-reflection for Huffman to decide to marry Macy.

In an interview with Tribune News Service, Huffman explained exactly how she felt. "I was so scared of marriage that I thought I would've preferred to step in front of a bus," she said. When she explained further, Huffman added, "I thought I'd disappear. Men's stock when they get married goes up. Women's stock goes down." Still, she eventually married Macy and was truly happy to do so. Huffman's reluctance to tie the knot is understandable, as she added that she was afraid she would lose herself in her marriage. Obviously, that didn't happen, but Huffman's concerns were still totally valid.

As Felicity Huffman has discussed, motherhood didn't come easily to her. That isn't to say that she doesn't enjoy it or absolutely love her children, but that there were hard times for her. However, when her daughters started growing up, and then especially when they became teenagers, Huffman found herself totally thrilled to be a mom of teenage girls. Yes, seriously.

In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Huffman was asked about her children, and she gave the most honest answer ever. "They are 13 and 15 now, and I am still enjoying them. Can you believe it?" Huffman said, laughing. "You know, in all honestly, I did not really enjoy them until they hit about 7 or 9." Huffman also explained that since she "grew up in a huge house full of women," she was prepared to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that is being a teenage girl. "So I'm like, 'Oh yeah, you're hysterical now, I get it. Oh, now you're really sad. Oh, now you're really happy.' I'm like, 'Cool, bring it.'" Huffman was uniquely prepared to parent teens, and that's something not everyone can say.

Because Felicity Huffman was guilty of paying someone to cheat her daughter into college, the public's view of her kind of waned afterward. And honestly, that's understandable. Huffman might have wanted the best for her daughter, but her actions were immoral and totally privileged. However, there were certain friends and former co-workers who stood by her side, including her former co-star Eva Longoria.

According to Deadline, 27 people wrote letters of support for Huffman before her sentencing for her part in the college admissions scandal. The letters were meant to vouch for Huffman's character, and Longoria's letter did just that. In the letter, obtained by NBC News, Longoria recalled a time on the set of Desperate Housewives in which Huffman stood up for her and made her work environment less toxic. "I dreaded the days I had to work with that person because it was pure torture," Longoria wrote. "Until one day, Felicity told the bully 'enough' and it all stopped. Felicity could feel that I was riddled with anxiety even though I never complained or mentioned the abuse to anyone." As Longoria explained, Huffman was a true friend to her and has great character, despite her part in the scandal.

As rough as life has been for Felicity Huffman since pleading guilty to the charges involving the college admissions scandal, there's no denying that she's paid her dues. Huffman served her prison sentence and fulfilled just about all of her other orders by late October 2020, according to Page Six.

Huffman was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine, serve one year of supervised release, and complete 250 hours of community. According to Page Six, Huffman's layer stated that she "will shortly complete" the supervised released portion, while the rest of her sentence has been completed. Specifically, a source told Entertainment Tonight that Huffman was completing her community service hours working with The Teen Project. "These are girls who are from at-risk populations, who have been on the streets, human trafficked or suffered addiction," the source said of the organization at which Huffman was volunteering. Huffman might have been guilty of a serious crime, but she served her time and completed her sentence dutifully.

As would any person's, Felicity Huffman's career was drastically impacted by her involvement in the college admissions scandal. However, Huffman served her time in prison, and because she admitted to doing wrong, Huffman was able to score a new project shortly after. Specifically, it was announced that Huffman would headline in a new ABC half-hour comedy, according to People. "She is honored and grateful to be a part of this project," a source told the magazine. Deadline reported that Huffman will play "a woman who inherits her husband's minor-league baseball team after his sudden death."

But just how was Huffman able to land a new job so quickly? Well, according to Hollywood crisis manager Howard Bragman, it was all in how Huffman dealt with the scandal. "There is a perception that she handled a very bad situation very well, and that she's done her time," Bragman told Variety. "She handled it with great humility, great class and great sincerity towards the severity of the situation." Huffman didn't take her actions, or her punishment, lightly, and that allowed her to be forgiven by her peers and land a new role relatively quickly. Honestly, good for her.