Kerry Washington Instagram – Kerry Washington is no longer just starring in stories, she’s shaping them.
The 2026 Black Women in Hollywood honoree is embracing an era rooted in introspection, courage, and creative authority.
In her memoir Thicker Than Water, Washington revealed that the man who raised her was not her biological father—a truth that disrupted the narrative she’d been handed at birth. “That was a turning point,” she tells ESSENCE. “Taking a journey of self-discovery… was going to be a threat and a challenge to the script that had been handed to me.”
Off script meant therapy. Reckoning. Choosing curiosity over comfort.
Since then, Washington has leaned deeper into storytelling across film, television, and podcasts through her production company, Simpson Street.
It also meant choosing bold work. Hiring the directors. Greenlighting the stories. Expanding who gets to lead and who gets to tell it.
Fourteen years after first being honored at Black Women in Hollywood, Washington is living proof of how power, purpose and authorship can redefine the industry and the self.
Kerry Washington is our 2026 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Icon, read more about her journey at ESSENCE.com.
The Credits:
Photography @peacebureau
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ESSENCE Talent Lead: @d_ricks | Posted on 04/Mar/2026 20:04:33
