If you're just logging on to the internet today, let me be the first to inform you that, according to the FBI, Lynette from Desperate Housewives and Aunt Becky from Full House are criminals.
Yep, Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were charged Tuesday in a massive college admissions scam.
According to the FBI, the actors and dozens of other rich and powerful people, as well as college officials, engaged in various crimes, including securities fraud, corporate fraud, and bribery.
The ruse involved parents paying money to facilitate cheating on their kids' SAT and ACT exams. Parents would also bribe college administrators and coaches to recruit students as athletes at many top-level universities.
Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, “made a purported charitable contribution of $15,000” to a fake nonprofit organization “to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her oldest daughter,” according to a criminal complaint.
According to the indictment, Huffman was told that her daughter would take the SAT exam at a "controlled" testing center and that the organizer would arrange for a special proctor to administer the exam. The proctor would then correct the answers without her daughter's knowledge.
Huffman also made arrangements to engage in the scheme again for her younger daughter “before deciding not to do so.”
Loughlin, along with her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 for their two daughters to be recruited on USC’s crew team, despite the fact the girls were not rowers.
(A representative for Huffman didn't respond to a request for comment. A publicist for Loughlin told BuzzFeed News she was just learning of the charges and had no immediate comment.)
Amid the drama, folks on Twitter found a way to turn the shocking news into a memeable moment, as Huffman and Loughlin seemed to be the last folks people expected to be caught up in crimes.
Leading Twitter was the hashtag #FreeAuntBecky, a reference to the character Loughlin played on the sitcom Full House.
#FREEAUNTBECKY
This sports anchor found another very appropriate Full House GIF.
When the FBI serves Lori Loughlin with a warrant
OK, there were a lot of Full House jokes.
If you squint, you can see Alcatraz.
Aunt Becky...SMH
Aunt Becky's spin-off show is gonna be so good
Ah, Aunt Becky, how the tables have turned.
🎶WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO AMATEURITY THE SCHOLARSHIPS, THE ROOM AND BOARD, TUITION IS FREE EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK (EVERYWHERE YOU GO) THERE'S A BAG (THERE'S A BAG) A BOOSTER TO PAY YOU🎶
When you gotta break aunt Becky out of jail.
But there were also plenty of Desperate Housewives jokes about Huffman.
Felicity Huffman: Twitter:
HONEYYYYYYY Lynette Scavo going to JAIL?!? WHEW. Somewhere, Nicolette Sheridan just asked the waiter to make that glass of rosé a bottle instead!!!!! https://t.co/yZHOWaSqUR
Actor and comedian Billy Eichner gave a shoutout to Huffman's Housewives costar Teri Hatcher.
TERI HATCHER GOT ME INTO BROWN
Vulture's Hunter Harris pointed out that the whole scheme sounded like something that belonged on TV.
big little lies season 3 https://t.co/97Yxb6Txbb
Really, it's only a matter of time before this whole debacle is turned into a Lifetime movie.
Ok but can you imagine Felicity Huffman getting handcuffed? Rolling her eyes. “Fuckin losers,” she says to the FBI agents out of the side of her mouth
Jokes aside, people are still trying to ~process~ WTF is going on.
Please give me at least 90 days to process this Felicity Huffman/Lori Loughlin college admissions scam news.
In a word, folks were shooketh.
FELICITY HUFFMAN IS UNDER INDICTMENT!?!?
The news was equally surprising and bleak, and the internet had a field day.
ADMISSIONS OFFICE: ur child was not accepted to our college FELICITY HUFFMAN: then i will have to do a crime ADMISSIONS OFFICE: u can just donate some money & we'll let em in FELICITY HUFFMAN: a crime i shall do ADMISSIONS OFFICE: just make a donation FELICITY HUFFMAN: crime time
They got Aunt Becky out here getting cuffed by the feds. We living in the worst of times.
We'd be remiss not to end this story with one of Huffman's own tweets from 2016, which looks a little 👀 in light of all that's happened.
What are your best “hacks” for the back-to-school season?