Kerry Washington’s personal and professional trials have been making headlines as she promotes her memoir Thicker than Water. She shocked fans with recounts of a scrapped Django Unchained assault scene and playing Meg Ryan’s best friend in a movie. Another candid story came from her memoir as Washington opened up about her decision to share a past abortion experience.
The Scandal star didn’t hold back when talking about the sensitive subject in her recently released book. The moment came at a time when Kerry Washington was still a rising star in Hollywood, fresh off the success of the hit movie Save the Last Dance. She was between roles when a romantic fling led to an unplanned pregnancy. The then-young actress felt she wasn’t ready for a child so early in her career. However, she explained why her abortion didn’t come without trepidation as the Emmy winner said to People:
I struggled a lot in the beginning with whether or not to include my abortion story. At first, I wasn't really sure how it fit into this story of my life. But I started to feel like it was really important for me to share this.
Revealing such a long-kept secret can be hard for anyone, especially someone as visible as the Little Fires Everywhere star. Abortion is a sensitive topic, which elicits a myriad of responses. For the actress, it was a personal matter that she didn’t have to share but chose to because of her large platform. Washington admitted to the publication that she felt hypocritical about having an abortion due to her past as a sex health teacher.
Kerry Washington was more candid about her experience as she admitted to giving a fake name to protect her privacy. She mentioned feeling ashamed during her procedure. Despite her past shame, the actress clarified why she chose to share her abortion experience. The actress-producer stated:
This story had so much to do with my understanding of myself and the world as my career unfolded. It's just so important to me that abortion is not a bad word, and that my abortion is not another thing on the list of things that I'm ashamed of. We're at a moment where it's really important to be telling the truth about our reproductive choices because some of those choices are being stripped away from us. I'm telling my truth about my life, excavating some of my secrets. I don't want my not telling it to make anybody think there is shame to be had.
Washington chose to use her book to alleviate the shame around women and this sensitive topic. She wanted to let women – famous and not – know that they are not alone in this experience.
Kerry Washington shares more stories beyond her abortion experience in Thicker than Water, which is currently available on bookshelves everywhere. In addition to her bombshell memoir, her acting career is still thriving despite her trying to quit for years and the ongoing actors’ strike. Washington recurs on The Simpsons and stars in and produces Unprisoned, which premiered on the 2023 TV schedule. Both series are available to stream through a Hulu subscription.
