In her memoir, Thicker Than Water, she discussed her discovery that her father was not her biological parent.
And Kerry Washington sheds light on why she spoke so publicly about the situation in a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK.
She said: “For a long time it felt very right for me to have more privacy, especially after losing my anonymity.”
“But when my parents shared this information with me, it felt like I was perpetuating a false narrative by not being more transparent about the changes in our family dynamics.
“On this journey of self-discovery, I was ready to reveal more of myself.”
Opening: Kerry Washington says she publicly revealed that her father was not her biological father because she didn’t want to “perpetuate a false narrative.”
The truth: The 46-year-old actress said she learned in 2018 that the man she called “Dad” was not her biological father
The 46-year-old actress said she learned in 2018 that the man she called “Dad” was not her biological father.
She revealed that she learned the truth about her ancestry about five years ago when she was invited to take part in an episode of “Finding Your Roots” hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates hosted on PBS
Speaking up: In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, the star reveals why she spoke so publicly about the situation
The show uses genealogical records and DNA results to trace family histories.
“When I said, ‘Spit in this tube,’ they started freaking out,” Kerry told the New York Times about her parents’ reaction to the DNA test.
“My mom was like, ‘I didn’t know that was going to happen.'”
The Prophecy star said her father started having panic attacks and suffered from insomnia and decided to step away from the show.
After Gates advised her to reveal the information while everyone was still alive, her parents arranged a meeting with the Emmy winner.
During their meeting in 2018, Kerry’s parents revealed that they had used an anonymous sperm donor after struggling to conceive naturally.
This comes after Kerry said the revelation of a family secret made her want to write her new memoir, Thicker Than Water.
Kerry explained, “On this journey of self-discovery, I was ready to reveal more of myself.”
During their meeting in 2018, Kerry’s parents revealed that they had used an anonymous sperm donor after struggling to conceive naturally
The Reasonable Doubt director believes her subconscious reaction to the idea that something wasn’t quite right may have contributed to her years of struggling with anxiety, self-esteem issues and an eating disorder.
Kerry hasn’t been able to find out anything about the sperm donor yet.
After receiving the information, the first author decided to change the topic of her book.
She originally committed to writing a manuscript based on the life lessons she learned over six years playing Washington fixer Olivia Pope on the hit drama Scandal.
“Any attempt to sit down and write about my life and not include this new information just felt impossible,” she told the Times.
“I tried to give the publisher their money back.”
Instead, she and Little, Brown Spark, settled on the memoir.
Kerry admits her parents aren’t thrilled about her publishing a book of her family secrets, but they support the effort.
She also managed to reassure her father about their relationship by telling him, “I’m not going anywhere, you’re not going anywhere, you’re my father.” Now if I say, “I love you, then “It’s not because of who you pretend to be in my life, but because of who you are.”
Stunning: During the Harper’s Bazaar front cover shoot, Kerry looked very leggy in a lace maxi dress with a daring thigh-high slit
Wow! In another snap, Kerry oozed confidence as she donned a backless black ball gown with beaded details
During the Harper’s Bazaar front cover shoot, Kerry looked very leggy in a lace maxi dress with a daring thigh-high slit.
She then slipped into a glamorous metallic dress that showed off her incredible figure.
In another snap, Kerry oozed confidence as she donned a backless black ball gown with beaded details.
Her long brunette locks were styled with a glamorous blowdry and she accessorized with dazzling silver jewelry.