The TV icon and retail business mogul Martha Stewart shared her sympathy for Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, both of whom are facing charges for their alleged involvement in the college admissions scandal.
Stewart was asked in a red carpet interview with “Entertainment Tonight” on Tuesday at the Time 100 Gala what advice she would offer Loughlin and Huffman.
“I just feel sorry for them,” said Stewart, who has had had run-ins with the law herself. “They might have made a bad mistake.”
Martha Stewart is speaking out on Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman’s involvement in the college admissions scandal.
Posted by Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, April 23, 2019
In the early 2000s, Stewart served five months in prison after she was convicted of multiple felony charges for lying to investigators about a stock sale.
“It was horrifying, and no one—no one—should have to go through that kind of indignity,” she told Katie Couric in 2017 about the experience.
After serving her time, she made a comeback. She was soon back on air with “The Martha Stewart Show.” In 2016, VH1 aired “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,” where Stewart pairs with rapper Snoop Dogg to share recipes and host celebrity guests.
Earlier this month, Stewart made similar statements to Entertainment Tonight at The Hollywood Reporter’s 9th Annual Most Powerful People In Media gala event in New York City.
She said the actresses “definitely” can bounce back after the allegations derailed their careers.
“It’s just embarrassing for a family to go through what they’re going through and horrifying that it even occurred,” Stewart stated. “It’s a sad thing.”
The college admissions bribery scandal was a conspiracy to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several popular American universities.
Loughin, of “Full House,” and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty last week on charges that they allegedly paid $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California (USC).
Felicity Huffman was among 13 parents who agreed to plead guilty last week to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud. She also issued an apology to the public and her daughter, who she said had no idea about the scam.
Huffman likely will see less prison time than Loughlin due to her guilty plea and the relatively small amount she paid, which was $15,000.
According to the Los Angeles Times in a report published on April 20, Huffman could get home confinement in the case. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she could face four to 10 months in prison.
A legal expert told the LA Times that a judge could allow her to serve her sentence at home while wearing an ankle monitor instead of going to prison.
“In federal court, the judge has the legal discretion to not follow the sentencing guidelines, as they are advisory, not mandatory,” Dmitry Gorin, a former prosecutor in Los Angeles, told the paper.
Meanwhile, because she was among the first parents accused in the scam to plead guilty, she likely will receive relatively lax punishment, another legal expert explained.
“She was first out the gate to take responsibility and will be handsomely rewarded for it, especially if the other defendants drag their feet, which [we’re] beginning to see,” said Louis Shapiro, a federal defense attorney, according to the paper.
Epoch Times Reporter Jack Phillips contributed this report.
