Notoriously Private Kerry Washington Explains Why She Doesn't Talk About Her Personal Life
Kerry Washington spoke on stage during the SXSW festival in Austin, TX, on Sunday, participating in a conference with InStyle's Ariel Foxman called "The New Rules of Social Stardom." During the chat, the famously private Scandal star opened up about just why she has always avoided taking about her personal life and touched on recent rumors of trouble in her marriage to former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha, whom she wed in a surprise ceremony back in 2013.
Kerry called social media "double-edged sword" and talked about why she doesn't overshare on her Instagram and Twitter accounts (she mainly uses the channels to promote her hit ABC show and communicate with fans). She also revealed that she gets "itchy fingers" when it comes to sharing photos of her nearly 2-year-old daughter, Isabelle, saying, "Instead I, like, send it to my shrink or send it to my mother." Keep reading for more of Kerry's candid quotes.
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On the "double-edged sword" of social media: "I think — and this is something Reese Witherspoon has talked about a lot — it’s a little different for me because I don’t talk about my personal life. Social media has actually been great for [other celebrities'] relationships with the weeklies or the gossip sites because people say things and they say, 'That’s not true! Just so you know, that’s BS!' I say 'BS' because it’s Sunday. So I'm thinking in some ways, it’s been great because people are able to maintain their voice."
On not discussing her personal life: "If I don’t talk about my personal life, it means I don’t talk about my personal life. That means not only did I not tell you when I was getting married, it also means if somebody has rumors about what’s going on in my marriage, I don’t refute them, because I don’t talk about my personal life."
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On being funnier as a mom: "My husband says that I’m funnier since I became a mom, and that luckily I was pregnant when I did SNL because I was really funny. I think something about being a mom has made me let go even more of ideas of perfectionism, like when you’re pregnant you’re just not in control of anything. Like every day you’re like, 'What am I today?’"
On reading social media comments: "Some days, I’m really vulnerable; 'I’m not going to read comments today.' Other days I’m feeling a little more like I can wrap my head around it, and I engage because the truth about comments that I’ve learned is that comments are not about me; that when somebody comments on something on social media, they are revealing something to me about themselves. If you don’t like something that I say or do, that’s really you sharing with me who you are; and if you’re nasty about it, that’s really you sharing with me who you are."
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On sharing photos of her 22-month-old daughter, Isabelle: "It’s like I have these itchy fingers where I want to just show my daughter because she’s so cute and instead I, like, send it to my shrink or send it to my mother. I’m like, 'Look at this picture! Look how cute, look at this picture!' Get it out of my phone into the world but not on social. So I get the desire to do that, but I want her to make her own decisions in her time."
On Isabelle growing up and being in the public eye: "I feel like she already has a lot to navigate in life being the daughter of an actor and a former football player, so she should be able to enter this world when it feels right for her and not [have me] make that decision for her. Who knows what the next generation of Snapchat will be when she’s allowed to have a phone, you know? Who knows?”