Fifteen years before Felicity Huffman was indicted for her alleged involvement in an elite college admission scheme, her “Desperate Housewives” character, Lynette Scavo, was involved in an eerily similar elite school admission scheme.
In Season 1, Episode 5 of the hit ABC show, Lynette and her husband, Tom, attempted to get their twin sons enrolled in a private school called Barcliff Academy.
A scene in the episode, above, features the school’s headmaster telling the Scavos that their “children’s educational background is a bit more common than we would prefer.” From there, the couple ends up in a back-and-forth with the school and is forced to donate $15,000 to the school in order to beat out another family for their sons’ spots.
In what is arguably one of the greatest moments of life imitating art, Huffman is accused of paying $15,000 to help improve the SAT score of her elder daughter. (Her husband, the actor William H. Macy, is not named in the indictment and has not been charged, People reports.) She allegedly gave the money to the Key Worldwide Foundation, which claimed to “provide educational and self-enrichment programs to disadvantaged youth.”
Alongside Huffman, there are more than 30 parents accused of involvement in the scheme to bribe entrance exam administrators, varsity coaches and administrators, according to federal prosecutors.
Who knew “Desperate Housewives” was so ... on the nose?
