Kerry Washington opens up about how her sexual assault has impacted her life in a recent interview.
The “Scandal” star, 47, shared her experiences while discussing her memoir, “Thicker Than Water”, at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
She revealed that the assault was one of the early instances in her life when someone denied the truth to her and made her doubt her intuition. The memoir recounts her journey of self-discovery, particularly the revelation that her father was not her biological father, which she learned at the age of 41.
During the event, Washington also spoke about being sexually assaulted as a child during sleepovers in her Bronx neighborhood. She recounted how the perpetrator would touch her and then deny it, gaslighting her into thinking it was all in her imagination.
Despite not revealing the identity of her abuser in the book, Washington emphasized the impact it had on her psyche, creating a framework of doubt and self-denial. She acknowledged that the truth of her experiences has been kept secret, partly out of compassion for the perpetrator who was also a child at the time.
Washington’s journey of self-discovery, both in terms of her biological parentage and her past trauma, has allowed her to find a pathway back to herself and trust her own intuition once again. By sharing her story, she hopes to empower others to confront their own truths and value their own experiences.
