Julia Roberts addresses what may be saddest part of admissions scam

Movie star Julia Roberts is breaking her silence on the latest scandal to rock Hollywood.

During her appearance on ITV’s Lorraine in the UK on Monday, March 18, 2019, the Erin Brockovich actress was asked to share her thoughts on the headline-making college admissions bribery scam.

“That to me is so sad,” Roberts began (via ET Canada). “Because I feel, from an outsider, that it says a little bit, ‘I don’t have enough faith in you.'”

The Academy Award winner went on to expertly connect the ongoing situation with her latest film Ben Is Back, in which she plays mom to actor Lucas Hedges. The titular role sees Hedges struggle with drug addiction, according to Deadline. As reported by Today, Roberts explained, “I feel that in [Ben Is Back], this mother is trying to say, ‘I have so much faith in you, I have both our faiths until you can find the faith in yourself again.'”

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As Nicki Swift previously reported, news of the shocking college admissions scheme first broke on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. In a twist that no one saw coming, Desperate Housewives alum Felicity Huffman and Fuller House star Lori Loughlin were among the 50 people arrested and indicted in this elaborate, nationwide scam.

Readers are most likely aware that both have been accused of bribing their kids’ ways into elite colleges. Loughlin, 54, and her clothing designer husband, 55-year-old Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly paid $500,000 for their daughters, 20-year-old Isabella Rose and 19-year-old Olivia Jade, to be accepted as crew team recruits at the University of Southern California. Meanwhile, Huffman and her husband, Shameless star William H. Macy, allegedly paid $15,000 “to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of [their] eldest daughter” (via TMZ).

As of this writing, Macy has not been indicted, and it’s still unclear whether the stars’ children actually knew about the reported bribery. Additionally, all parties involved have yet to publicly comment on the allegations. However, Loughlin, Giannulli, and Huffman, who were all released on bond last week, have received felony charges for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, according to CNN.

Multiple celebs, including James Van Der Beek, Lena Dunham, and Billy Eichner, immediately took to social media to weigh in on the shocking matter. However, Huffman’s former Desperate Housewives costar Nicollette Sheridan waited until the dust began to somewhat settle before sharing her thoughts with Access Live on Monday, March 18.

Without mentioning Huffman by name, the actress said, “We don’t know the facts, but we could be extremely disturbed by the entitlement, the power, and money that can take away from [the] less privileged. And that to me is disgraceful.” Nicollette added, “I think there are ways to remedy a system that isn’t working, and I think has been broken for a long time … But it’s troublesome because it can change the life path of a child that is deserving.” She concluded, “I think everybody should be talking about it. It’s a huge problem.”

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Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman may now find themselves among the list of celebs who can’t stand Julia Roberts. However, the 51-year-old actress herself recently addressed how she and her husband of 17 years, cinematographer Daniel Moder, have worked hard to create a more balanced home life for their three kids, despite the wealth, privilege, and attention that might come with their celebrity status. The longtime couple share 14-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and 11-year-old son Henry.

Noting that the couple is “very aligned on that front” during her latest interview with Lorraine, Roberts said, “I think that we live a very normal experience with our children. I mean, obviously, we have advantages that we didn’t have as children. But I think … that’s the unique part of it, is coming from the kind of childhood that I had.”

“I don’t want them to have some of the struggles that I had,” the Pretty Woman star continued, but added, “At the same time, you know, you do need to know how to make your bed and how to do your laundry and how to be able to make one meal. These are important life skills.” Ultimately, Roberts concluded, “They have to run their own race. They have to have their own experience.”