The Root; Published By Shanelle Genai
Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Karl Lagerfeld) (Getty Images)
Kerry Washington is opening up like we’ve never seen her before ahead of the release of her new memoir, Thicker Than Water, recently revealing shocking details about her biological father.
Speaking to the New York Times, the Scandal star shared that the man she thought was her father was not and that she found that out thanks to Henry Louis “Skip” Gates (founder of the The Root) and his Finding Your Roots series.
Washington explained that when she went to go collect DNA samples from both her parents, they were initially hesitant and that raised some red flags. Gates then had a conversation with Washington’s parents privately where they asked him if “the possibility that Washington not being their biological child would “come up in the testing.” As a result, he urged them to have a talk with he Django Unchained star about their worries sooner rather than later.
Upon discovering that the man she had always known as her father was indeed not and that she was a product of a sperm donor, Washington said that it helped contextualize some of the feelings of disconnect she’d always had with her dad. Read more
