Kerry Washington on Discovering Her Dad Isn't Her Biological Father

Kerry Washington is revealing how she felt when she discovered recently that her dad is not her biological father.

People magazine reports the 46-year-old star opens up about her parents' revelation in her new memoir, "Thicker Than Water."

She tells the outlet in next week's issue that it "really turned my world upside down" learning that her dad, Earl, and her mom, Valerie, had used an anonymous sperm donor in order to conceive her, after efforts to have a child on their own failed.

In 2018, she told her parents she would be filming an episode of PBS' "Finding Your Roots," in which public figures find out about their forefathers via DNA testing.

Upon hearing the news, Kerry's parents spoke to host Henry Louis Gates Jr., who told them it would be wise to fully disclose the family's secret to Kerry beforehand, which they did in an emotional meeting with their daughter.

Kerry tells People receiving the information was a relief, as she'd always felt a piece of her puzzle was missing.

"When I got this information," she says, "I was like, 'Oh. I now know my story.' I didn't know what my story was, but I was playing the supporting character in their story."

There were many questions, but ultimately, Kerry appreciated that it was a difficult thing for her parents to go through as well.

She also goes on to tell the magazine that she thinks a nagging feeling of "somebody is not telling me something about my body" may well have played into her years of body issues. It also led to her decision to publish her memoir.

"My parents were not thrilled about me writing this," she concedes, but "this really is a book about me." Fortunately, her mom and dad did come around and lend support.

In 2020, Washington posted a photo of herself as a child with Earl, writing, "My favorite picture EVER with my favorite dad EVER. #HappyFathersDay to the best featured background artist in town, the life of every party, and the king of #dadjokes. I’m so blessed to have him as my dad. Wishing all the fathers (in any form that they come in) out there an amazing day."

"Thicker Than Water" is out September 26.