6:08
- ABC News
- May 17, 2017
Kerry Washington 'sad' but 'grateful' for end of 'Scandal'
Washington, 40, said she feels "really blessed" at this point in her career.
6:08
Washington said the show, created by Shonda Rhimes, has had to outdo even its own suspenseful antics to reflect what is happening in the real-life Washington, D.C., under the Trump administration.
“As we have created sort of the imaginary world of the impossible in Washington, now that’s happening in the real world, so we’ve had to up our ante,” said Washington, who endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
“Scandal” will end its sixth season Thursday night in a two-hour finale that Washington described as “crazy.” The two-hour season finale, which features Olivia Pope's mom, is a first for the series.
“I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that we are ending the season with Olivia Pope who she is,” Washington said. “It’s beyond what I could have imagined.”
SNEAK PEEK: Clip from @KerryWashington from the season finale of @ScandalABC, airing tomorrow night on @ABC. #Scandal pic.twitter.com/3lYQfsDcqy
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 17, 2017
Washington said she also can’t fully imagine where her character will end up when the show ends.
“I really want to see Olivia happy but it’s hard to know in ShondaLand what that means,” Washington said, referring to Rhimes’ production company. “Shonda has really encouraged all of us to think about the idea that people define happiness in different ways.”
She continued, “Happiness is defined in different ways by different people. I really just want what’s best for Olivia.”
Washington described herself as “so grateful” at this point in her career. She began “Scandal” as a relatively unknown star and has now become a household name. The star also got married and had two children during the show’s run.
“It’s so exciting for me to be going into our final season and feel like the abundance of riches,” she said. “I have a beautiful husband and beautiful kids and I’m really happy about my life and I love my job and I get to bring all of that to work for one more season.”
“I feel really blessed,” she said.
ABC News' Lesley Messer contributed to this report.
Disney is the parent company of ABC and ABC News.
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/kerry-washington-scandal-cast-ready-holds-barred-final/story?id=47457882","legacySlug":"/culture/story/kerry-washington-scandal-cast-ready-holds-barred-final-47457882","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"13:31","publishDate":"05-17-2017","updatedTime":"17:20","updatedDate":"05-17-2017","socialImage":{"alt":"VIDEO: Kerry Washington opens up about the 'Scandal' finale ","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/170517_gma_break_full3_0830_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/17/2017 13:31:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":47457882,"headline":"Kerry Washington 'sad' but 'grateful' for end of 'Scandal'","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Kerry Washington Live_170517","description":"Washington, 40, said she feels \"really blessed\" at this point in her career.","duration":"6:08","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/05/170517_gma_break_full_0830_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132055565","131830882","130993584"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 8, 2026","headline":"Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","section":"News","slug":"/video/131830882","id":"131830882","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"March 12, 2026","headline":"Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","section":"News","slug":"/video/130993584","id":"130993584","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Kerry Washington 'sad' but 'grateful' for end of 'Scandal'","description":"Washington, 40, said she feels \"really blessed\" at this point in her career.","duration":"6:08","uploadDate":"05-17-2017","publication":"05-17-2017","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/05/170517_gma_break_full_0830_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/05/170517_gma_break_full_0830_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/kerry-washington-scandal-cast-ready-holds-barred-final-47457882"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131046664","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131048076","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131033212","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130999943","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130971027","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Kerry Washington 'sad' but 'grateful' for end of 'Scandal'","pubTime":"09:31","pubDate":"05-17-2017","modTime":"13:20","modDate":"05-17-2017","taxonomyTags":"none","id":47457882,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Kerry Washington 'sad' but 'grateful' for end of 'Scandal'","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Kerry Washington Live_170517","videoId":47457882,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/culture/story/kerry-washington-scandal-cast-ready-holds-barred-final-47457882"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/47457882","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/47457882","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};