From ‘Desperate Housewives’ to Jailbird: Felicity Huffman’s Surprising Transformation

A lot has changed for Felicity Huffman. In March 2019, Huffman — in addition to Hollywood A-lister Lori Loughlin — was indicted and arrested on federal charges along with other parents who were allegedly involved in the nationwide college admissions scandal.

In April of that year, Huffman —who shares daughters Sophia and Georgia with husband William H. Macy — pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services for paying $15,000 to boost Sophia’s SAT scores.

Following her court appearance, Huffman got candid about her previous mistakes. “I broke the law. I have admitted that, and I have pleaded guilty to this crime,” she said in a statement in September. “There are no excuses or justifications for my actions. Period. I would like to apologize again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions. And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children.”

Since then, the blonde beauty spent time in the slammer at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California on October 25 — she only spent 11 days behind bars instead of 14 — and was also sentenced to complete 250 hours of community service and pay a $30,000 fine.

Huffman was spotted at The Teen Project center in Los Angeles — nine days after she was released from jail — where she began her community service. After her time away from her family, it seems like Huffman has a whole new appreciation for her life. “Felicity is not the same woman. This scandal ripped her life apart and made her look at who she really was as a person,” a source told In Touch exclusively. “She really strived to be a good parent, neighbor and an upstanding citizen. She made some huge mistakes, but she’s humbled now. It was a huge reality check.”

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Now, it seems like Huffman is trying to move on from the past. “Instead of focusing on making sure her girls [get] the best chance at a good future, she’s now focused on her family’s blessings and how to live a more authentic and honest life,” the insider dished. “Felicity owns the mistakes she’s made. She did something wrong, she got caught, she was humiliated and she paid the price. But she’s had to admit that it was all of her own making. She gets it now.”

In November 2020, just over one year after serving her jail sentence, Huffman’s big return to TV was announced. After landing a deal with ABC, she is set to star in a single-camera comedy inspired by Susan Savage, the real-life owner of the Triple-A baseball team the Sacramento River Cats, according to Deadline. The project marks Huffman’s first acting role post-prison.

Scroll through the gallery below to see Huffman’s ups and downs.