Kerry Washington Recalls ‘Awkward’ Phone Call To The Obamas Ahead Of Spicy ‘Scandal’ Storyline

Kerry Washington Recalls ‘Awkward’ Phone Call To The Obamas Ahead Of Spicy ‘Scandal’ Storyline

Kerry Washington recently shared a hilarious yet awkward moment from her early days on Scandal.

While appearing on The View on Dec. 18, the actress revealed that she called the White House to ensure her role as Olivia Pope wouldn’t cause any political conflict, given her affiliations with then-President Barack Obama. For those unaware, at the time of Scandal’s 2012 debut, Kerry served as a member of Barack’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

She shared during her recent interview:

“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 this show. Lil awkward, because on the show, I’m sleeping with the president.’”

And continued:

“But like, you know, it’s gonna be fine, right?”

 

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Kerry added that she wanted to give the administration “a chance to distance themselves if they needed to,” further stating:

“But they were like, ‘It’s fine. It’s TV.’ Again, for art, everything’s okay!”

Thank goodness the Obamas didn’t mind! Kerry’s portrayal of Olivia Pope, inspired by real-life crisis manager Judy Smith, became iconic alongside co-star Tony Goldwyn. The show’s love story between Olivia and Fitz captivated fans for seven seasons and still has a following to date, despite ending in 2018.

Thoughts?