A Tale of Two PR Strategies: Lori Loughlin vs. Felicity Huffman

The college admissions scandal paints an ugly picture of everyone involved: wealthy, entitled parents who used their copious amounts of money to cheat their children’s ways into the most elite schools in the nation. To top it all off, the bribes were funneled through a sham non-profit rendering them tax-deductible.

For some of the accused, they will need to endure public scrutiny with a target on their backs for a few more months until the legal ramifications are known, and the next scandal distracts us. But for the two celebrity defendants, Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, it may be a longer journey to reputation recovery given the nature of their lives in the public eye.

So, with public perception on the line and an entire nation watching, Huffman and Loughlin, presumably along with teams of advisers, had some important decisions to make about moving forward. Media outlets quickly zeroed in on the two actresses who would soon become the poster children of the college admissions scandal. They were placed under a microscope in the weeks following the announcement as each of their lives was meticulously examined by curious onlookers. All the while, the two were facing the harsh reality of their legal future. While both women stayed quiet for some time after allegations were first made, it eventually became clear that their damage control strategies were headed in two completely different directions.

The first time that Loughlin appeared in court in early April, people were shocked at the relaxed manner in which she strutted through crowds outside the Boston courthouse. As she smiled and waved, Loughlin even stopped to sign autographs. This was the first time we saw Loughlin’s display of sheer nonchalance regarding the incredibly serious charges she was facing. It seemed to be business as usual for her. Whether it was because she was confident that the charges against her would be dropped or because she was still in celebrity mode, Loughlin gave off an aura of arrogance that day that earned her negative front-page headlines across the board and has haunted her ever since. 

We later learned that Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Gianulli, were offered a plea deal that would have landed them in jail for two years, which they swiftly rejected. Throughout the scandal, statements about Loughlin were usually released anonymously from a “source close to her.” One source explained that Loughlin had rejected the deal because she did not believe that she and her husband engaged in illegal behavior, despite the incriminating evidence compiled by the FBI. This attitude and lack of understanding of the magnitude of her actions are digging Loughlin’s career and reputation into a hole from which she may never be able to exit.

On the complete other end of the spectrum, we have Felicity Huffman who has handled the situation in a way that sets her up for a career comeback (maybe not any time soon, but eventually). When Huffman first addressed the public after the scandal, she did so with remorse and regret. She made the decision to own up to her actions and plead guilty. After doing so, she made a public apology in which she gave no excuses for herself, accepted full responsibility and showed the nation that she understood what she had done was wrong.

In return, the court, much like the public and press, have been showing her some mercy. Her prosecutor is recommending she be sentenced to four months in prison for her crimes – a far cry from the potential 40 years that Loughlin and Gianulli now face.

The moral of the story is that people respond to humility. Being able to take responsibility and admit wrongdoing goes a long way when asking for forgiveness from the public. Sure, some may still be frustrated or even mad for a while, but mistakes humanize people. Owning them, apologizing and accepting the consequences with grace is many times the best way to earn respect and make the public move on.