Rita Wilson on the college admission scandal: offensive, unethical, unfair

Busy Philipps dated Colin Hanks in college. I’m not sure how serious they were but they remained very close friends ever since. Something I didn’t consider is that if Busy dated and remained friends with Colin, then she’s probably good friends with his dad and stepmom, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, duh. So, when Rita came on Busy Tonight it was really fun because they had so much history together. However, the interview started off on a serious note: the college admissions scandal. Rita had some thoughts about it and wanted to get it off her chest right away:

here are so many things to discuss. First of all, the college thing. That is just so offensive to me. I mean, I don’t want to get serious on your really fun show but it is so unethical and disturbing because there are kids who work really hard that are on financial aid, that are desperate for a spot in any college. And It’s also offensive to the colleges that are not considered elite. As if they ‘re somehow different and you’re getting a different education. It doesn’t matter, it’s all about hard work. Whether it’s hard work at school, or hard work at work.

I agree with everything Rita said, for the record. The scandal is offensive to anyone trying to navigate the college waters in a legitimate way. And there are brilliant young minds out there who qualify for admission, but logistics, money and opportunity may not present themselves so they lose out. This is a slap in their faces. I also agree that anyone can get a good education at any school if they work for it. Plus, since my husband works at a certain University here in Southern California, I can tell you that the parents don’t stop trying to pull this crap after admission. Ask anyone you know who teaches at a private university how many times they’ve heard “I paid for an A” after Junior brought home a C.

Right after Rita finished her rant about the scandal, Busy jumped in to remind us that she’d dated Colin in college, so they know how much hard work it was. Rita added that she knew because she’d visited Busy and saw how hard she was working. And again, that’s all very true, college is hard work. But it’s also funny because neither Busy nor Colin finished school. And the story Rita tells about visiting Busy hard at work is about an acting gig she had at a New York toy store (Busy and Colin went to college here in LA) where she was playing a real-life Barbie. Celebrities in school, they’re just like us.

Photo credit: WENN Photos and YouTube

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