After revealing her family secret, Kerry Washington reflects on what was gained

Kerry Washington sat down with NPR’s Juana Summers to discuss her memoir and her family.

Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR

In her new memoir, Thicker Than Water, Kerry Washington explores how a shocking discovery about her identity changed her relationship with her parents.

Who is she? Washington is an acclaimed actress, activist and author, known for her roles in TV shows like Scandal and Little Fires Everywhere, and films like Django Unchained and Ray.

• Born and raised as an only child in the Bronx, New York, Washington’s upbringing allowed her to be immersed in the things she still values today: the performing arts and political activism.
• Her career in film and television has also greatly impacted her personal life, chiefly an offer to appear on the PBS series Finding Your Roots, which she ultimately didn’t go through with.

What’s the big deal? As Washington prepared for her appearance on the show that traces the lineage of well-known public figures, her parents realized they would have to share a family secret kept from her for her entire life.

• Upon discovering her DNA would be collected for her appearance on the show, her father began to panic, Washington told All Things Considered host Juana Summers.
• “He started not being able to sleep and he got really irritable. And my parents suddenly were changing their mind and saying that they weren’t sure that they wanted to follow through with this, and I couldn’t get to the bottom of it.” 
• As it turns out, Washington’s parents had used a sperm donor in hopes of conceiving, which they revealed to her in her early forties. Washington later confirmed her dad, Earl, was not her biological father through a DNA test.
• “It really was the beginning of a…