Kerry Washington reveals life-changing family secret about her biological father during chat with 'Today' hosts
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Scandal’ star Kerry Washington has recently opened up about the ‘shocking’ moment she learned that her dad is not her biological father with ‘Today’ Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.
On Tuesday, September 26 on ‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’ segment, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager welcomed the actress to discuss her new memoir ‘Thicker Than Water.’
Washington talked about her memoir ‘Thicker Than Water’ which details her journey of self-discovery, recalls a shocking secret, and her struggle with body dysmorphia from a young age.
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Kerry Washington’s ‘shocking’ moment
During the 'Today' interview, Kerry Washington expressed her thoughts on her identity and purpose saying, "I was already saying, like, 'Who am I? What will I do next? What is my purpose?'"
Washington recounted a pivotal moment when her parents invited her home with a significant revelation.
This followed her disclosure to her family about her participation in ‘Finding Your Roots,’ a show that explores celebrities' ancestral heritage through DNA testing, a story she also shares in her recently released memoir ‘Thicker Than Water.’
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She said, "And I went (to them)... and my parents told me that my dad is not my biological father. That I was born from a sperm donor."
Washington described the announcement as "shocking," yet she admitted to a strange sense of familiarity, as if, on some level, she had always held an inkling.
"It was shocking, but there was also something strangely familiar. There was like a confirmation,” she reflected.
Washington likened the revelation to a "call to adventure," seeing it as an exciting opportunity to delve deeper into her identity and purpose.
She expressed, "It felt like, ‘Well, this is a really exciting opportunity for me to learn more about who I am and who I want to be and to also make sense of my life.’”
Kerry Washington tells all in her memoir ‘Thicker Than Water’
After divulging her ‘shocking’ biological father revelation moment, she then talked about her memoir ‘Thicker Than Water,’ which is out now was “healing” for her,
She said, “That's part of what was really healing about writing the memoir, is I got to look back at my life and say, 'Oh, with this new information, I kind of understand it all now,' but I wanted to write my way through that.”
Washington confirmed that the title of her book is a clever play on the phrase "blood is thicker than water."
She elaborated by sharing that water has been the ‘through-line’ connecting her family's journey.
Washington explained, “As I started to write, the imagery of water kept coming up again and again.”
She mentioned memories of a neighborhood pool where she enjoyed summers during her upbringing and her parents' cabin in upstate New York near a lake.
She emphasized the significance of water in her family's culture adding, “It's just a really important element in the culture of our family.”
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