Kerry Washington opens up about an awkward conversation she had with the Obamas before “Scandal” aired.
During her appearance on The View, the actress revealed that she called the White House to make sure that her role wouldn’t cause any political conflict for them due to her affiliations with them.
In 2012, around the time of Scandal’s debut, Washington was a member of Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “I had to call Valerie Jarrett, who worked for the Obamas, and say, ‘I just want you to know that I’ve been cast in the show. Lil awkward, because on the show, I’m sleeping with the president,” she said.
“But like, you know, it’s gonna be fine, right?” she added. Washington went on to say that she wanted to give the Obama administration “a chance to distance themselves if they needed to.” She also stated, “But they were like, ‘It’s fine. It’s TV.’ Again, for art, everything’s okay!”
According to Washington, the Obamas didn’t mind her new role. On the show, Kerry Washington played Olivia Pope, which was inspired by real-life crisis manager Judy Smith. The show ended in 2018.