Kerry Washington Effortlessly Shines During Chicago Thicker Than Water Book Tour Stop

Kerry Washington finally let her guard down by releasing her memoir, Thicker Than Water, on Tuesday. There were several shocking revelations it contained that may have stunned fans. The biggest one is that Washington’s father, Earl Washington, isn’t biologically related to her and she was conceived with a sperm donor.

Washington also discussed having panic attacks at 7 years of age, suffering from an eating disorder during her college days that led to suicidal ideation and having an abortion in her late 20s.

Traveling across the country to promote her new memoir has been an exciting endeavor for the Scandal star and stops have included celebrity moderators like Tarana Burke and Tony Goldwyn.

For Chicago, Bellamy Young—who worked alongside Washington on Scandal for all seven seasons—guided the talk and was thrilled at the opportunity to do so. Washington started the evening with a land acknowledgement recognizing Illinois’ Indigenous people before delving into her story.

She discussed being a “good overachiever and compartmentalizer” before writing Thicker Than Water and that she took many breaks before achieving the final product.

Additionally, Washington shared that she didn’t talk to her parents before doing the memoir because she couldn’t risk writing the book she thought they would want.

After learning that she was the result of artificial insemination, her parents (Earl and Valerie) along with her husband (actor and producer Nnamdi Asomugha) all attended therapy together.

Washington also said that since revealing the truth about her father, her mother Valerie has been freed from a 40-year-old burden and that her spirit seems lighter. Washington explained that she is finally been able to show her father unconditional love and said how proud he is of her for telling her truth.

At the end of the discussion, Washington reiterated the importance of differentiating the concept of secret from sacred—and how she hopes reclaiming her narrative will inspire others to do the same.