Kerry Washington Reveals Lionel Richie was Her First Celebrity Crush

The actress appeared on 'Watch What Happens Live' with Andy Cohen on Thursday

Kerry Washington is sharing her soft spot for Lionel Richie.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Thursday, the actress, 46, revealed that the singer, 74, was her first celebrity crush.

While playing a game of ‘The First Timers Club’ on the Bravo talk show, host Andy Cohen asked Washington, “Who was your first celebrity crush?”

“Weirdly … I think Lionel Richie,” laughed Washington. “You brought me that Lionel Richie poster, remember?” she added, pointing to her dad Earl Washington, who was behind the bar at the Bravo Clubhouse. “Yes, yes!” replied her father.

The Scandal star also showed her interest in the “All Night Long” singer when she dressed up as him for Halloween 2022, sporting the same look he wore on the cover of his 1982 debut eponymous album.

Related: Kerry Washington Credits 'Ray' Costar Jamie Foxx for 'Setting the Best Possible Example' on Set

Days later, Washington appeared on The Late Late Show and then-host James Corden quizzed her on why she decided to dress as the “Endless Love” singer for the holiday.

“I’m a huge Lionel Richie fan,” she said. “Like, most kids had posters of teeny boppers and I had a Lionel Richie poster in my bedroom growing up as a little girl. I just have always … I probably still now would cry if ‘Hello’ came on.”

Also during her appearance on WWHL, Washington talked about realizing she wanted to be an actress. “When I saw my mother cry at a performance that I played,” she said. “Because I was like, this is a woman who gave birth to me, she knows who I am, but I was able to fool her into thinking I was somebody else.”

Related: Kerry Washington Makes Rare Appearance with Husband Nnamdi Asomugha at 2023 Met Gala

Washington went on to share that despite her incredible career, she still doesn’t feel like she’s made it.

“When was the first time you felt like a success?” asked Cohen.

“I will let you know when that happens,” she replied with a smile.

“Really?” added the host. “I think it’s gonna be when your book is on The New York Times Best Seller list, which is gonna happen,” he continued, noting Washington’s new memoir, Thicker Than Water.

Cohen later asked the Little Fires Everywhere star about her parents’ reaction to the book, which is full of bombshell revelations about her life.

“My parents read it before anybody else,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that I had my parents’ blessing before publishing. My dad says that  he really likes the book, he’s proud of me,  it’s not the book that he would have written.”

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“Oh no, absolutely not,” laughed her dad, Earl.

“But he’s very supportive, and that’s why it’s my book, not his,” the actress continued with a giggle. “My mom, because she’s a retired teacher, she was like, ‘I love you, it’s beautiful. I have a few notes,’ and she handed it back covered in red ink.”

In Thicker Than Water, the actress shares that she recently learned that her dad Earl is not her biological father.

"It really turned my world upside down," she told PEOPLE. "When I got this information, I was like, 'Oh. I now know my story,' " she added. "I didn't know what my story was, but I was playing the supporting character in their story."

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