Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn Have ‘Scandal’ Reunion at DNC
The Democratic National Convention delighted Scandal fans everywhere when it announced that Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn would be among the week’s lineup of nightly Hollywood hosts.
The pair played out having proximity to the White House onscreen when they starred opposite each other as Washington, D.C., fixer Olivia Pope and President Fitzgerald “Fitz” Grant, respectively, on Shonda Rhimes‘ hit ABC political drama that ran for seven seasons. But in real life, the actors have become vocal political activists for the Democratic party.
Goldwyn was set as the opening night host, with Washington readying to host the final night when Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the Democratic party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential race.
With three nights between them, it wasn’t clear if a Scandal reunion would materialize. But, on Wednesday, the third night of the DNC, the former co-stars were both in the arena at Chicago’s United Center and decided to, as Washington wrote, give the people what they want.
Both stars shared photos with one another on their Instagram Stories, and Washington shared the captured moments on X (below).
Along with Washington and Goldwyn, Mindy Kaling and Ana Navarro were each tapped to host one night at the four-day event in Chicago. On their respective nights, they kicked off the primetime broadcast with opening remarks and made appearances throughout the evening.
Greg Propper, a longtime social impact adviser to stars like Washington who was tapped by the Harris campaign to manage Hollywood support, recently shared the campaign’s approach to deploying stars to stump for Harris with The Hollywood Reporter. After President Joe Biden’s announcement that he was stepping down from the ticket, “what we saw happen over the next 48 hours was that folks in the entertainment and creative community felt really energized by Harris’ candidacy,” Propper said. But he made it clear: “This is not going to be a celebrity-driven campaign. It’s going to be a people-driven campaign. The vice president wants to make sure it includes everybody.”
Washington started working with Propper and his L.A.-based firm Propper Daley in 2018. Two years later, she hosted a night of 2020’s DNC, which took place on Zoom. “This isn’t just about candidates and election cycles,” Washington told THR of her involvement. “It’s about building a future where everyone understands their voice and their power within our democracy.”
The UnPrisoned star-producer, meanwhile, has been sharing her high-wattage audience interactions and backstage encounters on social media, including a post with Wednesday’s surprise Hollywood speaker, Oprah Winfrey, and filmmaker Ava DuVernay. “Three Black women with ‘Black Jobs’ ready to watch @KamalaHarris come and take her ‘Black Job,’” she posted on Thursday, echoing former first lady Michelle Obama’s DNC stage jab at Harris’ opponent, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, and in preparation for Thursday’s main event.
