Felicity Huffman returns to TV after college admissions scandal in Criminal Minds spinoff
Felicity Huffman is returning to TV after finishing her full sentence for her role in the college admissions scandal, which she pleaded guilty to in 2019.
Felicity Huffman is set to return to TV in a new role in season two of the Criminal Minds spinoff, Criminal Minds: Evolution.
The 61-year-old will be playing psychiatrist Dr. Jill Gideon, the ex of Jason Gideon who was murdered off-screen in the tenth season of the original show. Her character will help the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit investigate a killer conspiracy theory.
Paramount confirmed the news to People over three years since Felicity pleaded guilty in the infamous college admissions scandal where she paid thousands to have her daughter Sophia’s SAT results doctored.
The actress was set to make a major return to Hollywood after serving her full sentence when she was named as one of the main cast in The Good Doctor’s legal spinoff, The Good Lawyer.
However, ABC canceled the spinoff following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year, which saw countless series and other entertainment projects being cleared from the slate while writers and actors stood strong on the picket lines.
READ MORE: Felicity Huffman has barely worked following her Varsity Blues scandal imprisonment
Criminal Minds: Evolution also features AJ Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Zach Gilford and Ryan-James Hatanaka, with Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster.
Production on season two was delayed due to the strikes but started up again in January although a release date for the Paramount+ show has not yet been announced.
Felicity’s new role comes three and a half years after she finished serving her full sentence. She was the first parent charged in the college admissions scandal.
The mother-of-two pleaded guilty in May 2019 to paying disgraced admissions consultant Rick Singer $15,000 to change her eldest daughter’s SAT answers to ensure she would get into the college of her choice.
Felicity claimed her husband, Shameless star William H. Macy, and her daughter were completely unaware of her actions. Ultimately, she was sentenced to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, 250 community service hours, and a year-long supervised release.
She served 11 of the 14 days in prison and completed the rest of her sentence but her public profile has struggled to recover.
During the scandal, the A-list actress appeared in three projects including When They See Us, Otherhood, and Tammy’s Always Dying. However, since her sentencing she has only been able to return to acting on stage.
At the time of the scandal, Sophia’s college acceptance was rescinded in the fallout, but the 23-year-old was later accepted into Carnegie Mellon’s theatre program on her own merit.
