It’s Wisteria Lane all over again folks! Many of the Desperate Housewives cast reunited in a virtual way on Stars in the House, a daily online mini-show hosted by SiriusXM’s Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, on Sunday, April 12. They did this for a good purpose as their appearance was designed to help raise donations for the Actor’s Fund’s Coronavirus efforts. Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, Vanessa Williams, Dana Delaney and Brenda Strong were all present as they gabbed about their favorite moments on the show, which premiered way back in 2004!
Three of the show’s most memorable costars did not participate in their fun reunion: Teri Hatcher, 55, Nicollette Sheridan, 56, and Felicity Huffman, 57, but Felicity — who played housewife Lynette Scavo — definitely came up in conversation! “Lynette’s storyline when she had cancer was…done so well,” host James said, cutting to a clip from the season four premiere when Felicity’s character finally admits to her friends that she’s sick. The storyline was one of the series’ most memorable, particularly due to Felicity’s incredible performance, which the ladies fondly remembered. “I’m going to cry!” Brenda, who narrated the show as the late Mary Alice Young, exclaimed.
Marcia Cross, who played perfectionist Bree Van de Kamp, was quick to praise her friends’ immense talent. “I just feel like Felicity Huffman is a flipping genius. An unbelievable actress!” she said of Felicity, who earned two Emmy nominations for her role on Desperate Housewives. “I actually remember doing that scene once it came up — I forget everything until I’m watching,” she added.
Eva, who played Gabrielle Solis, also reflected on the emotional scene. “I remember that storyline, and it was hard because we were a true dramedy — we were always a joke, and then that gravity would take you by surprise and that’s what I loved about the show is we got to do two things,” she said. “When Felicity had this storyline, she sunk her teeth into it — she had so many questions…she’s the acteur,” she continued, remembering another scene the pair had worked on. “I get goosebumps remembering this scene in the hospital during that cancer storyline and — oh my god — I would just be watching her and I would forget my lines because she was so amazing…Felicity and I have such a strong connection…we’ve all created these lasting friendships,” Eva sweetly added.
It may not be that much of a surprise that Felicity didn’t appear given the year she has had. She served 11 days in jail in October 2019 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, for her involvement in the college admissions scandal. The sentence came after she plead guilty in May 2019 to paying disgraced admissions consultant Rick Singer $15,000 to have a proctor change her daughter Sophia’s SAT answers after she took the test.
Meanwhile her other daughter Georgia, 17, (who Felicity shares with her husband of 22 years William H. Macy, 70) revealed her own college plans in December 2019 following her mother’s prison sentence. Georgia changed her social media account bio to “Vassar 2024,” the Poughkeepsie, New York school she will be attending in the fall of 2020.
Felicity was known for being a well-respected actress in Hollywood for years before the college scandal broke. She remained on the ABC series for all of its eight seasons and picked up a Primetime Emmy Award in 2005. Felicity also scored an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for her work in the film Transamerica.