by Stacy Jackson
November 21, 2023
Washington will receive the Equity in Entertainment award at The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment breakfast gala on Dec. 7.
Kerry Washington will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award at The Hollywood Reporter‘s Women in Entertainment event on Dec. 7.
The annual breakfast gala is presented by Lifetime and will be held in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Equity in Entertainment Award, created in 2016, has acknowledged people in the entertainment industry who magnify the voices of underrepresented communities.
Washington, well known for her role as Olivia Pope in the political television series Scandal, is also the founder of Simpson Street production company. According to Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Maer Roshan, the co-editors-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter, she is worthy of the honor.
“Kerry Washington is an incredible force of nature who has shown us at each phase of her career why she is one of Hollywood’s most important creative talents. This year alone, she produced and starred in Hulu’s acclaimed Unprisoned as part of her Simpson Street shingle. She wrote the best-selling memoir, Thicker Than Water, which ignited a national conversation about the different definitions of family.”
They added, “Those works represent just a slice of her barrier-breaking career, which includes her formidable acting credits, her burgeoning production work that has elevated diverse voices, her philanthropic efforts and her political activism. She has spent decades working for equity everywhere, so we are so excited to award her with our Equity in Entertainment award at Women in Entertainment.”
Washington will be presented with the award by actress and Oscar winner Ariana DeBose.
In 2022, The Hollywood Reporter honored Issa Rae with the Equity in Entertainment award. Previous award recipients include Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, Amy Pascal, and Selma Blair.
The Women in Entertainment gala is sponsored by Cadillac, Gersh, and Upneeq. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Chapman University, and Loyola Marymount University will present the breakfast gala.
