Kerry Washington looks radiant as she braves the rain to celebrate release of new memoir in New York’s Times Square
Kerry Washington brought her own personal sunshine as she faced wet weather in New York on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old actress looked stunning in a striking yellow and chartreuse-colored ensemble against gray clouds as she celebrated her big day in Times Square.
The new author celebrated the publication of her memoir, Thicker Than Water.
The stylish star wore a cozy turtleneck crop sweater and yellow high-waisted pants.
The American Son actress carried a small neon yellow hobo-style bag and added a pop of color with red pumps.
Big day: Kerry Washington, 46, brought her own personal sunshine to New York’s rainy Times Square on Tuesday as she celebrated the release of her new memoir, Thicker Than Water
The Django Unchained star styled her dark hair into a high ponytail with loose curls.
Her makeup looked natural with a soft pink lip, a pink blush and a touch of mascara on her lashes.
Kerry is decorated with small gold earrings and several elegant gold rings.
While in Times Square, Kerry stopped by the local bookstore Barnes and Noble to sign a few copies.
The A Thousand Words star has revealed that a family secret fueled her desire to put pen to paper.
The veteran actress said she learned in 2018 that the man she called “Dad” was not her biological father.
The Unprisoned star added that she believed the “dissonance” over something wrong with her body could have caused her to develop an eating disorder.
Kerry revealed that she discovered the truth about her heritage about five years ago when she was invited to participate in an episode of Finding Your Roots, hosted on PBS by Dr. Henry Louis Gates.
Gorgeous: Kerry looked stunning in a striking yellow and chartreuse ensemble against the gray clouds, appearing in a mustard cropped turtleneck sweater and high-waisted trousers
Accessories: The American Son actress carried a small neon yellow hobo-style bag and added a pop of color with red pumps
Cascading: The Django Unchained star styled her dark hair into a high ponytail with loose curls
The show uses genealogical data and DNA results to track family histories.
“When I said, ‘Spit in this tube,’ they started to panic,” Kerry said The New York Times about her parents’ reaction to the DNA test.
“My mother said, ‘I didn’t know this would happen.’
The Prophecy star said her father began having panic attacks and suffering from insomnia, and decided to retire from the show.
After Gates was advised to make the information public while all parties were still alive, her parents scheduled a meeting with the Emmy winner.
During their 2018 meeting, Kerry’s parents revealed they had used an anonymous sperm donor after having trouble conceiving naturally.
‘I’ve always had a strange relationship with my father, but I thought it was my fault. I thought I wasn’t friendly enough,” she explained.
‘But the idea that I wasn’t his never occurred to me. It was just, ‘Why can’t I be better to him? Why can’t we be closer? What is wrong with me? What’s wrong with us?”
“When I got this information, I thought, ‘Oh. I know my story now,” she said People.
“I didn’t know what my story was, but I played the supporting role in their story.”
Family secret: Kerry Washington says it was a family secret that inspired her to write her new memoir
Ancestry: Kerry revealed she learned her father Earl was not her biological father, and that she was conceived via an anonymous sperm donor (pictured in The Bronx in May 2019 with father Earl, her mother, Valerie and husband Nnamdi Asomugha, 42)
The Reasonable Doubt director believes her subconscious reaction to the idea that something wasn’t quite right may have contributed to her years-long struggle with anxiety, self-esteem issues and an eating disorder.
Kerry has not yet been able to discover anything about the sperm donor.
After receiving the information, the first author decided to change the subject of her book.
She originally signed on to write a manuscript based on the life lessons she learned over six years playing Washington fixer Olivia Pope on the hit drama Scandal.
“Every attempt I made to sit down and write about my life without absorbing this new information just felt impossible,” she told the Times.
“I tried to get the publisher’s money back.”
Instead, she and Little, Brown Spark, opted for the memoir.
Not good: Kerry said that as a child she felt like something was not quite right. “I didn’t know what my story was, but I played the supporting character in their story,” she explained to People
Inspiration: Kerry said the secret of her origins inspired her memoir. She originally planned to write a book about the life lessons she learned from Washington fixer Olivia Pope, whom she played for six years on Scandal. The book will be published on Tuesday
Love: Kerry says she put her father at ease about their relationship by telling him, “I’m not going anywhere, you’re not going anywhere, you’re my father.” Now when I say, “I love you, it’s not because of who you pretend to be in my life, but because of who you are.”
Kerry admits her parents aren’t keen on her publishing a book detailing their family secrets, but they support the effort.
She has also managed to put her father at ease about their relationship, telling him, “I’m not going anywhere, you’re not going anywhere, you’re my father.”
“Now when I say, ‘I love you, it’s not because of who you pretend to be in my life, but because of who you are.’
Thicker Than Water will be available wherever books are sold on Tuesday, September 26.