Kerry Washington’s Insights on Raising Her Three Kids

Kerry Washington, one of Hollywood’s beloved actresses, is known for keeping her three children out of the spotlight. The “Olivia Pope” actress is a mother to Isabelle and Caleb with husband Nnamdi Asomugha, and she is also a stepmother to Asomugha’s daughter from a previous relationship.

Washington has shared that while she would love to showcase her family’s cuteness, she prefers to protect them from the potential exploitations of social media.

Instead, she has a unique approach: “I take pictures or videos of my three amazing kids and I send them to my parents or my therapist. It’s my way of saying ‘Look how cute they are!’ without exposing them to the online world.”

Here’s a glimpse into Kerry’s life as a mother and her thoughts on motherhood.

Washington and Asomugha welcomed their daughter Isabelle on April 21, 2014. Shortly after, she returned to work on the set of “Scandal”. In a 2015 interview, Kerry mentioned that she often brought her daughter to the set: “I’m really blessed because my daughter gets to be at work with me a lot, which is fun and wonderful.”

“Everybody at work really likes it. She brings a lot of joy wherever she goes, so it’s fun to have her around,” she added.

As the mother of two girls, Washington is deeply invested in women’s issues. At Time’s Women of the Year gala, she remarked, “Being a ‘girl mom’ makes me think about these issues differently. They motivate me to do more and be better for them.”

When Isabelle became a big sister, Washington revealed that her daughter embraced the role wholeheartedly: “She is loving it,” Kerry said to Holmes Place. “I like that we have two. Though I am an only child, my husband has many siblings and can offer tips.”

Washington doesn’t like to differentiate her role as a stepmother. She tactfully corrected Today’s Craig Melvin when he referred to her as “a mother of two.” Kerry asserted, “I am a mother of three,” honoring her role in her stepdaughter’s life equally.

As a Black woman, Washington often discusses the complex topics of racism and Black history within her family. Especially during the 2020 dialogues surrounding Black Lives Matter, she emphasized the importance of introducing her children to Black history that predates the civil rights movement.

“It’s crucial to start with a Black history that doesn’t only revolve around oppression. Black people had rich, diverse histories long before segregation and the civil rights movement,” she explained to Jimmy Kimmel.

Additionally, Washington takes a natural approach to her appearance to set a positive example for her kids. She often wears her hair in its natural texture, reinforcing, “Your hair is perfect as it is. You don’t have to change it or straighten it. It’s your choice, but it’s not a necessity.”