How Kerry Washington’s Discovery About Her Biological Father Became a ‘Pivotal’ Time in Her Life

Kerry Washington’s discovery that her dad wasn’t actually her biological father became a turning point in her life.

“It was the perfect time, right? It wasn’t planned,” Washington, 48, told InStyle in an interview published Monday, September 8, noting that she “stumbled” into the revelation.

“When I think about the perfect way things unfold when we’re lucky, I was at such a pivotal moment in my life,” she added. “I was open to redefining myself, what I want and where I’m going.”

Washington had just wrapped her six-year run as Olivia Pope on ABC’s Scandal in 2018 when the actress found out she had been conceived using a sperm donor.

“My mom said she felt like the thing that had changed in our family was that we were less afraid to hurt one another,” Washington recalled. “That was so powerful and profound because it speaks to the inevitable heartache that comes with love.”

The actress said the “journey” she’s been on with her family has changed them in some way. Washington explained that it “has really made us all more courageous about being who we really are and standing in our truth with lots of love and compassion.”

Washington first revealed that her dad wasn’t her biological father in her 2023 memoir, Thicker Than Water. Washington’s parents, Earl and Valerie Washington, told her the truth after the actress intended to appear on Finding Your Roots, a show that offers insight into a celebrity’s family history through DNA testing.

“My parents told me that my dad is not my biological father. That I was born from a sperm donor,” she recalled during a 2023 Today show appearance. “It was shocking, but there was also something strangely familiar. There was, like, a confirmation.”

Kerry noted that she was already questioning her next move — and this offered her a new path.

“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,’” she added.

The Scandal alum made it clear that the revelation did not change the relationship she has with her dad.

“To my dad, I am his and he is mine and there’s no point in acknowledging any other truth,” she said on the “On Purpose” podcast in 2023. “He is my dad, he will always be my dad.”