What Now? With Trevor Noah Second Episode With Kerry Washington

 What Now? with Trevor Noah dropped its second episode, featuring a conversation with actress/producer/author Kerry Washington.

Washington is well-known for her role as crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the TV show Scandal, which ran from 2012 to 2018. 

In this second episode, Trevor Noah is joined by actress/producer/author Kerry Washington. The good friends unpack the end of the Hollywood strikes, the shocking family secret Washington shares in her newly published memoir, the responsibility of being first on the call sheet, why James Corden is concerned for Kerry, and the one feature Trevor inherited from his family. Noah also catches up with friend Christiana Mbakwe Medina about their different life choices and the reason she wants Trevor to marry and have kids.

Some highlights in the video episode include:

Trevor Noah: (11:27)

“...I had to explain to him that he is conflating famous, very successful actors with all actors. Many who are working people who just earn enough to raise a family. And, you know, it's the same in many industries. Like in sports. We think of everyone as LeBron James that we don't know how many NBA, NFL's different league players just earn enough money to make a living. There are stars in every industry. There are some doctors who make millions and millions and millions of dollars, and there are some doctors who make enough to earn a decent living. And the conversation I had with him was really dynamic and interesting because then we just got into a conversation around strikes and why we feel like there are so many strikes happening right now and how interesting it is to see the movement of labor people saying, Hey, we know that there is value in our work. These companies for a long time have made a lot of money from that work. And as the world evolves, we're going to keep on having to negotiate and fight back for the value of our work. And I wondered, like, what are your thoughts on the movement as a whole? Because it hasn't been just actors. It hasn't just been writers. I mean, you look at the autoworkers in Detroit. And the strikes that they've been having, you know, to fight for their future with electric cars, etc.. Like, what do you think it says about the world and where we're heading?”

  Kerry Washington: (12:47)

o “You know, I think about that phrase, that democracy is one that we have to keep working for democracy with every generation. We can't ever take it for granted. And I think the same is true for the rights of workers built into capitalism, is this idea of the haves and the have nots and a culture of greed. And so we have to continue to fight to make sure that the success of few does not outweigh the rights of all.”

 Trevor Noah: (14:38)

  “...And I remember one day getting so angry because they ate like my mom bought a hamburger and we could never really buy hamburgers and houses. And I was saving it. I ate the fries. And then I went off to, like, just to, like, think about my life and how good it was. And I left the burger on the table. I used to. I really suffer from that. I have like this deferred gratification for many things that I enjoy in life. And I came back and carried. I'll never forget the sight. The plate was on the floor and there were crumbs and the dog was sitting there just like almost smiling at me. And I was so angry and sad and I felt betrayed. And my mom said to me something that stuck with me forever. She said, Why are you angry? And I said, Because the dog. And she said, But why did you leave it then? I said, I didn't think the dog. And she said, Trevor, you cannot be angry with a dog for being a dog.”

o “And I was like, Huh. And I think that with capitalism, I go, Capitalism is this really fun and interesting dog, which does great things for many people. And, you know, it makes fancy things, but don't ever take for granted the fact that part of it is it will take from everyone what it can take. Yes, unless you.”

 Kerry Washington: (00:18:56)

"But there was this arm's length thing that I had with my mother emotionally, with my dad. It was different. It wasn't an arm's length, but it was a little bit of a disconnect. Yeah. Not knowing why, I always thought it was my fault. I thought there was something I was doing wrong. I thought maybe I wasn't good enough or whatever. As kids we try to fill in the gaps, I just thought maybe I have to be better or smarter or prettier, stronger and more successful or whatever it was. But when they gave me this information, it was like my big aha moment of like, this is the thing. Yeah, this was the thing I could never get across. Right. So it allowed me to connect more deeply to myself and my truth, but also it just allowed me to connect to them because there was no longer a secret between us.”

  Kerry Washington: (28:50)

“I feel. Less afraid of what people think of me because I don't have as much to hide. So to be in the world and to feel more secure in who I am and how I am, and to feel like I'm not carrying my parent's shame any longer. Mm hmm. Is so freeing. I feel so liberated and secure and excited. Just, like, really excited about what this person can now build and do and create.”

  Kerry Washington: (29:49)

 “It's so funny because one woman came up to me at an event that Nnamdi was at and said, like, ""I just I want you to know that we share the same story"" and I said thank you so much and she walked away and then I looked at Nnamdi and I said, ""which story?"" Was she born from a donor? Was she, has she survived sexual abuse? Has she, you know, like, does she have a difficult abortion story? Like, which of the stories that I've shared is the one that... and it almost didn't matter, I realized, when we talked about it. All we both needed to know is that we're not alone. Yes. That we're doing this human experience and that we're not alone."

 Kerry Washington: (43:01)

 “So I was talking to. James Corden, who said that he was worried for me. James was like, I need to talk to you. I love you. I'm very concerned about you seeking your donor. Wow. Because you have this beautiful life and you know, I know your parents. I know your kids. I know you're like, I understand how beautiful your life is, and I don't want you to give this person so much power that if they aren't who you want them to be, that you suddenly think your life is a failure or that you are unlovable or unworthy in some way. And he told me this beautiful story about some friends of his who used a donor. You know, nowadays, where it's in the world, of course, and sit it, you know, there went to a sperm bank. And the rules at this sperm bank are that you can't, you know, the identity is not disclosed, but you can write a note to the future child. So this donor wrote a note to this child saying and it gives me chills every time I think about it, saying, dear kid, I want you to know that I am not your father. That who I am is just help that there are two people who are your parents. They loved you so much. They wanted to meet you so badly, and all they needed was a little bit of help. So they asked me to give them that help.”

  Kerry Washington: (49:06)

  “You know, I'm really lucky that I didn't get like everybody famous until much later in my career, because I think if it had happened earlier, I don't know that I would have been able to understand the importance of holding onto my community and audience in the same way. But I had been on this rollercoaster for so long. I mean, by the time the show came around, I'd already been in the business for over a decade, so I had watched Jamie Fox go from being Black famous to famous. I'd watched Forest Whitaker go from being Black, famous to famous. I'd watched Chris Rock go from being Black famous to famous, and I'd also watched how there were times where they were less famous, Famous and Black people still love you. If you love Black people, Yeah. Like if you stay with us, we stay with you. And so by the time the show came along, I was like, no mad. I could hear Chris Rock in my head sometimes. Like, no matter what you do, you don't forget your Black audience because we are right or die like Black people. If you'll if you love us, we will not stop. We don't care if your show gets canceled. We don't care if they gave you third billing. We don't care if your movie bombed. They will still come see you.”

Trevor Noah: (59:30)

 “...And the question is, what now? You know, where do you want to go with your family now? Because it really is a whole new world that you're starting off with them. You can you know, you've seen yourself, your dad, your mom, everybody, your kids, your husband. So I'd love to know on that front, what now and then? I mean, you know, the business is back. What now for Kerry Washington? What are you excited about?”

 Kerry Washington: (1:00:06)

 “So. The what now of my family, is I think we're getting really close to identifying the donor. And so that feels really exciting. It feels like a new story opening up and unfolding. So I'm excited about that. But I'm also really. I feel so lucky that my parents gave me this information while they were still alive to get this information while they're still here. Makes me want to absorb every second that I can with them. Like to really? To really live fully with them, you know, to, like, be all of who I am.”