Kerry Washington has opened up about the surprising doubts she encountered when landing the lead role in Scandal. Appearing on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, the 48-year-old actress revealed that network executives considered it a “risk” to have a Black woman helm a primetime drama—something that hadn’t happened in nearly four decades. “I was in my 30s at the time, so it hadn’t happened in my lifetime,” explained Washington. She also recalled how people said it wouldn’t work, but she credits the show’s loyal viewers rather than herself for proving everyone wrong. “Audiences are amazing, right?” she said. “They tuned in in record numbers to say, ‘We want to see heroes that look like us. And we’re open to our heroes looking like everybody.’”
Looking back on its 2012-to-2018 run, Kerry Washington remains proud of how Scandal thrived. She specifically points to the audience’s openness and willingness to embrace a new kind of leading character. “I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m amazing,’” she added. “I was like, ‘Audiences are amazing.’” By tuning in weekly, fans shattered a long-held myth that Black women couldn’t lead a major network show. Washington’s risk ultimately became a groundbreaking triumph, ushering in a new era of representation—one that proves people will support stories that reflect a wider range of human experience.