Netflix Delays Release of Felicity Huffman Film After Actress Pleads Guilty

Actress Felicity Huffman has agreed to plead guilty in the recent college admissions scandal, and her upcoming Netflix film has now been pushed back indefinitely.

Huffman had filmed the streaming service’s romantic comedy Otherhood, which was scheduled to be released on April 26. The movie also stars Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette as three moms fed up with their adult sons, and the Associated Press reports that a new release date has not been determined.

The 56-year-old is also slated to appear in Netflix’s upcoming Central Park Five miniseries When They See Us?, directed by Ava DuVernay. That project is scheduled to premiere on May 31. Actress Lori Loughlin‘s professional career has also been affected as a result of her involvement in the scandal, with Netflix’s Fuller House announcing that it will not feature her in its upcoming season and the Hallmark Channel cutting ties with the former When Calls the Heart star.

Huffman announced on Monday that she will plead guilty after she reportedly “made a purported charitable contribution of $15,000 to KWF to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her oldest daughter,” and while she allegedly considered the plan again for her younger daughter, she did not go through with it a second time.

The charitable contribution went to a fake charity, the Key Worldwide Foundation, set up by William Rick Singer that acted as a front for the scam. Singer and former Yale women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith have already pleaded guilty in the case, which was dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues” and is the biggest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department.

Huffman revealed that she is pleading guilty in a statement released on Monday, April 8.

“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office. I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,” the statement read. “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.”

Due to her plea deal, prosecutors are recommending a prison term at the “low end of the sentencing guidelines,” which would be between four and ten months. Huffman reserves the right to argue for zero to six months and prosecutors also recommend that Huffman pay a fine or penalty of $20,000 as well as a restitution amount and one year of probation.

Photo Credit: Getty / Boston Globe