News

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy's Marriage Under Strain Amid College Cheating Scandal, Source Says

By Antoinette Bueno‍ 8:30 AM PDT, March 20, 2019

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy are continuing to deal with the fallout of their involvement in the headline-making college admissions cheating scandal.

Huffman was one of 50 people charged in a college admissions cheating scam last week for allegedly paying $15,000 so that her 18-year-old daughter, Sofia, could cheat on the SAT in order to help get into an elite college. The former Desperate Housewives star was arrested without incident last Tuesday and appeared in court on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, and was released on a $250,000 bond. Macy was not charged.

A source tells ET that the scandal has definitely affected the longtime couple's relationship. Huffman, 56, and Macy, 69, have been married since 1997, and also share 16-year-old daughter Georgia together.

"This situation has been very trying on Felicity and William's marriage," the source says. "They love each other but they've been arguing a lot."

"Felicity and William have an incredibly strong marriage but this situation has put a tremendous amount of pressure on them," the source continues. "Their close friends were stunned by the news because they've always a seemed like honest, good people, people who would never lie and cheat to get what they wanted. They almost seemed to pride themselves on their honesty."

Since the scandal, the couple's past comments have resurfaced and have come under more scrutiny. Back in 2004, Macy actually spoke to ET about giving his daughters a "leg up" in Hollywood at a junket for his film Cellular.

"One can help your children in this business, and the nepotism works, and I have no problems with it," he said of potentially helping his daughters to succeed in the business if they ended up choosing that career path. "If I can give them a leg up, I absolutely would. It's a great way to make a living. It really is."

ET spoke to Macy at the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards last January, where the Shameless star praised his wife as the "smartest" person he knows.

"She only wants good things for me," Macy said of Huffman. "Acting and showbiz, theater, is at the core of our relationship. We met in the theater. We still talk about our roles with each other, we share each other's scripts, we critique each other -- it's not a good idea for most people, it could be world war three, but for us, it works. She's my biggest supporter and she's the smartest person I know. It's great to have someone like that in your corner."

Watch the video below for more: