Kerry Washington, 46, shared particulars in regards to the life-changing second she not too long ago discovered that her dad, Earl Washington, isn’t her organic father, in her new memoir, Thicker Than Water. The proficient actress talked about her new guide and the stunning expertise, in a brand new interview with PEOPLE, this week. “It really turned my world upside down,” she informed the outlet.
She revealed that she discovered in regards to the household secret after she informed her dad and mom she was going to seem on Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s Discovering Your Roots. The PBS sequence provides celebrities the chance to study their ancestors by way of DNA testing. On the time, Kerry’s mom, Valerie, and her dad, Earl, determined to have a non-public dialog along with her to provide her the information about her organic father. The sit-down occurred in spring 2018.
“Once I received this data, I used to be like, ‘Oh. I now know my story,’” Kerry explained, adding she felt a sense of relief since she suspected her parents were keeping something from her for a long time. “I didn’t know what my story was, however I used to be enjoying the supporting character of their story.”
Kerry went on to disclose that she stayed calm throughout the memorable second, however requested lots of questions. She discovered that her dad and mom selected to make use of an nameless sperm donor to assist them conceive after they struggled with fertility points. Though the information got here as a shock, Kerry thinks her earlier senses led to many bodily points over time.
“I believe that dissonance of like, ‘Somebody is not telling me something about my body ‘ made me feel like there was something in my body I had to fix,” she said about struggling with anxiety and self-esteem issues for years. She also struggled with an eating disorder when she was younger, and thinks those issues may have been symptoms of subconsciously sensing her parents’ secret.
Kerry’s emotions in regards to the revelation is what impressed her to put in writing her memoir, which particulars intimate components about her life. “This is really kind of me working to understand my life up until now, given this new information that I have that, in many ways, felt like sort of the missing puzzle piece,” she shared. “My parents were not thrilled about me writing this,” she added, earlier than explaining that “this really is a book about me. I now get to step into being the most important person in my life.”
Regardless of her dad and mom’ hesitation in regards to the guide, Kerry additional admitted that her relationship with them has solely gotten higher over time. “I really started to have so much more love and compassion and understanding for my parents,” she stated. “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.”
Thicker Than Water can be launched on September 26.
