Kerry Washington

Yes, there were these, I think, the culture of my family was kind of hide the truth to look good. And like, we should do whatever it takes to like look good in the world. So as I would learn these smaller truths along the way, I kept waiting to feel the revelatory feeling that I had when I got the big truth.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I did. I did. It was like a roller coaster. I feel like I've had every possible feeling that you could have about this story. news that I got, any possible feeling you could have, I've had. I've had gratitude. I've felt elated. I have felt bliss. I have felt anger. I've felt anxiety. I felt fear.

I did. I did. It was like a roller coaster. I feel like I've had every possible feeling that you could have about this story. news that I got, any possible feeling you could have, I've had. I've had gratitude. I've felt elated. I have felt bliss. I have felt anger. I've felt anxiety. I felt fear.

So it was, I mean, I think when they first told me, I felt really compassionate because I could see when they told me how afraid they were to tell me. And I remember saying to my dad, And I don't know where this came from, but I'm so grateful that this dropped into my brain to say to him. I said to him, you know, our whole lives, I have told you that I love you on the pretense of a lie.

So it was, I mean, I think when they first told me, I felt really compassionate because I could see when they told me how afraid they were to tell me. And I remember saying to my dad, And I don't know where this came from, but I'm so grateful that this dropped into my brain to say to him. I said to him, you know, our whole lives, I have told you that I love you on the pretense of a lie.

Like every time that I have said I love you, there's been a tiny filter that my dad was thinking like, oh, she loves me because she thinks I am her father. And so in this revelation, I actually got to say, I love you unconditionally. Like I got to say, I know the full truth of you and I'm not going anywhere. I still love you. And to me, that's a much more powerful love, right?

Like every time that I have said I love you, there's been a tiny filter that my dad was thinking like, oh, she loves me because she thinks I am her father. And so in this revelation, I actually got to say, I love you unconditionally. Like I got to say, I know the full truth of you and I'm not going anywhere. I still love you. And to me, that's a much more powerful love, right?

A love that's rooted in absolute vulnerability and honesty. When you get to like show all your dirty laundry to somebody and your greatest fears and admit that the things that you're scared to admit and they don't go anywhere, that is real love, right? So that's what we got to give each other. When they gave me the truth, I got to give them that return of unconditional love.

A love that's rooted in absolute vulnerability and honesty. When you get to like show all your dirty laundry to somebody and your greatest fears and admit that the things that you're scared to admit and they don't go anywhere, that is real love, right? So that's what we got to give each other. When they gave me the truth, I got to give them that return of unconditional love.

And them giving me the truth was a way of loving me unconditionally because they were saying, we know you might be mad. We know you may not want to be in relationship with us. We know this might change the dynamic of our family forever, but we're going to give you this truth anyway.

And them giving me the truth was a way of loving me unconditionally because they were saying, we know you might be mad. We know you may not want to be in relationship with us. We know this might change the dynamic of our family forever, but we're going to give you this truth anyway.

That's right. My mom was like, when was I supposed to tell you? When you're in the throes of an eating disorder? Like, when was I supposed to tell you? When you're totally depressed or then, you know, you're in a broken relationship. Or she was like, there was never a good time.

That's right. My mom was like, when was I supposed to tell you? When you're in the throes of an eating disorder? Like, when was I supposed to tell you? When you're totally depressed or then, you know, you're in a broken relationship. Or she was like, there was never a good time.

That's right.

That's right.

Yeah. But we're all doing the best we can, right? And again, like, especially as parents, I think it is really powerful and important, I think, in our journey that... they told me at the right time, right? Because it's when they told me. So whenever that, whenever it happened is when it was supposed to happen.

Yeah. But we're all doing the best we can, right? And again, like, especially as parents, I think it is really powerful and important, I think, in our journey that... they told me at the right time, right? Because it's when they told me. So whenever that, whenever it happened is when it was supposed to happen.

And I do think there's something beautiful about the fact that when they told me I was myself a parent, because I had a different level of understanding of how hard it is to parent and how you can try to do everything perfectly, but nobody gets it perfect. It's And actually the ways that our parents are imperfect, that's part of the journey of how we become who we are.