Felicity Huffman Nabs First Acting Role After Serving Jail Time For College Scandal
It's back to work for Felicity Huffman, who has been keeping a low profile since her incarceration last year for her part in the college admissions scandal that rocked the nation. The actress has reportedly accepted a role in a new ABC TV series, as reported by Deadline.
Huffman will play the lead in an as-yet-untitled comedy inspired by Susan Savage, the real-life owner of the Triple-A baseball team, the Sacramento River Cats, who landed her unexpected post after the original owner — her husband — died in 2009. The series focuses on Savage's adjustment to her new role in the world of sports management/politics, which she must learn to navigate, along with helming her dysfunctional family.
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The show will also costar Zack Gottsagen — who previously starred in The Peanut Butter Falcon — in the role of Savage's oldest son, who is affected by Down Syndrome. Huffman is cited as a co-executive producer on the project.
The real-life River Cats are the reigning Triple-A national champions, having won the championship game last year.
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Huffman hasn't been seen much in recent months. In May, the Emmy-winning actress pleaded guilty to paying Rick Singer $15,000 to have someone correct and proctor her daughter Sophia's college board exams in order to get accepted at the highly competitive University of Southern California.
FELICITY HUFFMAN RELEASED EARLY FROM PRISON
Huffman completed her entire sentence — which included jail time, a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and one year of supervised release from prison — on October 25. She served 11 days out of her 14-day jail sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif., last October. Her 11-day stint was normal policy for inmates in the prison, who are down for release on weekends.
While Huffman is finally free of her sentence, fellow actress — and public face of the college scandal — Lori Loughlin is just getting started. Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were also found guilty last year for their involvement in the college admissions scandal. Loughlin began her two-month sentence at the Dublin facility on October 30, while Giannulli reported to to a federal prison in Lompoc near Santa Barbara, Calif., on November 19. He has a longer sentence than his wife, facing a full five months behind bars.