Ben Stiller Teases Daughter Ella Got Yale Football Scholarship Amid College Admissions Scandal

No one, including Ben Stiller, is quite ready to let the recent college admissions scandal go.

Stiller brought his 16-year-old daughter, Ella, along to his appearance this week on The Ellen DeGeneres Show because they were touring colleges in Southern California.

“She is going to Yale on a full football scholarship,” Stiller joked. “And she’s going to major in Photoshop.”

The 53-year-old actor then reflected on the serious nature of the sweeping admissions scandal, in which actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have been charged along with dozens of other wealthy parents.

“No, it’s a crazy time,” he told host Ellen DeGeneres on Friday’s episode. “I mean, look, there’s crazy pressure that the kids go through and the parents go through, but obviously, you gotta draw the line.”

The Escape at Dannemora director revealed that Ella will follow in his footsteps by pursuing a career in acting. She already has a head start in the field, playing small roles in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Escape at Dannemora.

“I am happy because she loves it, and she’s very passionate about it and she knows what she wants to do,” Stiller told DeGeneres. “I knew when I was 10, 11 years old that I wanted to direct movies and eventually act too. But it’s a crazy business, as you know, so I just want to support her in it in any way possible.”

After a beat, he quipped, “Legally.”

Stiller also gave an update on his 13-year-old son Quinlin, his other child with estranged wife Christine Taylor. “He’s in New York, and he loves basketball, and he’s, like, a nice, innocent 13-year-old,” Stiller said. “I like to believe that. I don’t check his history too often.”

Stiller and Taylor announced their separation in 2017 after 17 years of marriage.

In a joint statement issued to Entertainment Tonight, the two announced their split exclusively to the news agency, sharing that they intend to raise their children together.

“With tremendous love and respect for each other, and the 18 years we spent together as a couple, we have made the decision to separate,” the two said at the time. “Our priority will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends. We kindly ask that the media respect our privacy at this time.”

The two stars, both known for their comedic roles, shared the screen in several projects, including Zoolander, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Tropic Thunder, Arrested Development and most recently, the Zoolander sequel.