William H. Macy Once Said He Would Give His Daughters 'A Leg Up' in Hollywood: 'Nepotism Works'
William H. Macy said he had “no problems” with nepotism in Hollywood years before wife Felicity Huffman was arrested as part of an alleged college admissions bribery scam.
In the wake of Huffman’s arrest, several of Macy’s past interviews have resurfaced, including a 2004 chat in which he discussed giving his children a boost.
“One can help your children in this business, and the nepotism works, and I have no problems with it,” the Shameless star, 69, told Entertainment Tonight. “If I can give them a leg up, I absolutely would. It’s a great way to make a living. It really is.”
Macy and Huffman, 56, share daughters Sofia, 18, and Georgia, 17.
The actor’s February interview with Men’s Journal has also raised eyebrows in the wake of the scandal, as he claimed the best advice he’d ever received was to “never lie.”
“It’s the cheapest way to go. Lies cost you a lot, and they’re never worth what they cost,” he said.
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Huffman, as well as Full House star Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were among 50 people named on Tuesday in an alleged conspiracy to defraud and undermine competitive student admissions at elite colleges and universities including Yale, Georgetown, the University of Southern California and Stanford, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
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An indictment claims Huffman allegedly donated $15,000 to a company in a scheme that allowed a proctor to secretly correct Sofia’s SAT test answers, giving her a boost of more than 400 points over her PSAT scores.
The former Desperate Housewives star was arrested Tuesday and charged by federal prosecutors with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. She was later released on a $250,000 bond, and appeared, with Macy by her side, in a Los Angeles courthouse Friday.
Macy was not named in the indictment and is instead listed only as Huffman’s spouse.
The couple allegedly discussed with William Singer a similar SAT scenario involving their younger daughter, according to conversations excerpted in the indictment, but backed off and decided she should take the test first to see how well she did.
Singer is a “cooperating witness” in the investigation who runs a college preparatory business and started the Key Worldwide Foundation that allegedly accepted the couple’s $15,000 donation.
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Emails and recorded conversations cited in the indictment show that Macy participated only in conversations about the second daughter, and not in the plan that was carried out, perhaps explaining the lack of evidence required for a criminal charge.
Huffman’s next preliminary court hearing is scheduled for March 29 at a Boston court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
