Kerry Washington has made a startling revelation in the her new book Thicker Than Water. The Hollywood actor has opened up about the long-held secret about her parentage, and how she discovered that her dad Earl Washington is not her biological father. Kerry also spoke about her mental health struggles as she discussed her memoir in an interview with People. Also read: Kerry Washington opens about her iconic Whitney Houston’s dress
Kerry recalls her first reaction
Kerry Washington said, “When I got this information (that her dad is not her biological father), I was like, ‘Oh. I now know my story. I didn’t know what my story was, but I was playing the supporting character in their story (her parents’).”
Kerry recalled that she discovered the ‘family secret’ shortly after she told her parents she was planning to appear on Finding Your Roots, a PBS series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr, where celebrities learn about their ancestors through DNA testing. Finding out that Earl is not her biological father sent her on a journey of self-discovery and the actor shared her reaction to the explosive revelation in her chat with People, saying ‘it really turned her world upside down.
Kerry goes in depth about about how she found out
Having held onto the secret for decades, the actor’s mom, Valerie, a professor, and dad, Earl, a real estate agent, reportedly had a private conversation with Henry Louis Gates Jr, who told them it was always best for families to discuss such revelations privately prior to filming. Kerry recalls she then she got a text message from her parents inviting her to a family sit-down in 2018.
The actor told the portal that she kept her calm and asked a lot of questions, while trying to give her parents grace in what was a difficult moment for them. She learned that they had opted to use an anonymous sperm donor to help conceive after struggling with fertility issues. They admitted they had decided never to tell Kerry about it.
Kerry on new book and her relationship with parents
The actor opened up about how she was struggling for years with anxiety, self-esteem issues, and an eating disorder, when she was young. She now feels those might have been symptoms of subconsciously sensing her parents’ secret.
Notwithstanding the initial shock, Kerry is content with the revelation, saying, it made her work towards understanding her life better, which she says, in many ways, ‘felt like sort of the missing puzzle piece’. She added that the experience ultimately added a new layer to her bond with her parents.
She said her parents were supportive of her, but were not too comfortable. Kerry told People, “My parents were not thrilled about me writing this. But this really is a book about me. I now get to step into being the most important person in my life… I really started to have so much more love and compassion and understanding for my parents. Taking this deep dive into our family history made me put myself in their shoes and think about the things that they’ve had to navigate and what they’ve been through and what they’ve sacrificed. And it really made me feel closer to them.”
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