The women of “The View” are bummed to see actress Felicity Huffman struggling to find acting jobs after the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, arguing on Tuesday that she did her time and fully accepted her consequences. So much so, in fact, that host Whoopi Goldberg invited Huffman to work with her on a future project.
As part of the day’s Hot Topics discussion, the hosts touched on new comments from Huffman, in which she lamented that a pilot she did for ABC didn’t get picked up, admitted she’s been struggling to get acting jobs, and said that “It’s been hard. Sort of like your old life died and you died with it.”
While the hosts of “The View” soundly condemned Huffman’s actions, they did sympathize with how those actions have affected the actress. Whoopi particularly felt for her, asking “who amongst us has not made a stupid mistake?” But, the host praised Huffman for taking the fallout on the chin.
“Everybody does it. We all get caught up, we all do stuff that we’re regretting,” she said. “Hers was public, and she took all the raking. She didn’t bitch and moan, she said ‘I did it, I’m here. So, you know what Felicity? If I find something, let’s play.”
For the most part, Whoopi’s cohosts agreed, arguing that Huffman’s 11 days in jail, $30,000 fine and 250 hours of community service were proper punishment.
“We are living in a country where a man who’s been found liable for rape is the leading contender to be president of this country, and this woman can’t get an acting job,” Joy Behar marveled. “I mean, what is going on here? There’s something topsy-turvy going on in the country. And this is just another example of that.”
Both Behar and Sunny Hostin admitted that, as mothers themselves, they can understand why Huffman paid $15,000 for an improved SAT score for her daughter, even if they wouldn’t have done it themselves.
“She’s a fabulous actor and it shouldn’t affect her career,” Alyssa Farah Griffin added. “I strongly disagree with what they did, I think that it’s horrible and it sets kids up to not earn things and to teach the wrong lessons. But you can’t hold it over their heads forever. Like, it shouldn’t destroy her career, and her prospects going forward, I don’t think.”