Kerry Washington Jokes Her ‘Scandal’ Co-Stars Were ‘Pissed for Years’ She Didn’t Like Kissing Them

It has been three years since Scandal came to an end, but at least two of Kerry Washington’s co-stars may still be holding a hilarious grudge. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday, May 19, Washington revealed her co-stars Scott Foley and Tony Goldwyn, whom she shared the screen with for six years, weren’t too happy with her after she admitted that she didn’t like kissing them.

The hilarious conversation came as a follow-up to Washington’s 2014 appearance on Ellen, during which DeGeneres asked the star who she preferred to kiss. Washington, however, deflected at the time. During her Thursday appearance, though, Washington was far more eager to discuss those steamy on-screen moments her character Olivia Pope shared with Goldwyn’s President Fitzgerald Grant and Foley’s Jake Ballard, admitting that she wasn’t particularly fond of kissing either of them, something that left both actors “pissed” at her.

“I thought I was keeping the peace by saying I don’t like to kiss either one of them but they were both pretty pissed for years,” Washington told DeGeneres. “Like ‘Why would you say that on national television?’”

DeGeneres suggested a solution to the grudge, suggesting that Washington could have said she liked kissing her two co-stars “equally.” Washington wasn’t a fan of that advice, though, stating, “Who says that? No.” The actress again stopped short of revealing who she favored more for this kiss scene. Despite DeGeneres’ pushing and humorous claims that she was “lying,” teasing that there “is clearly one better kisser,” Washington kept her lips sealed.

The conversation came years after Scandal wrapped in April 2018 following a seven-season run on ABC from 2012 until 2018. Set in Washington, D.C., the series centered around Washington’s Olivia Pope, a former White House Communications Director who starts her own crisis management firm, Olivia Pope & Associates (OPA), only to discover her clients are not the only ones with secrets. Along with Washington, Foley, and Goldwyn, the hit political thriller also starred Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz, Jeff Perry, Joshua Malina, and Bellamy Young, among others. The hit series was penned by Shonda Rhimes. It aired its final episode on April 19, 2018. Three years later, and just prior to her appearance on the soon-ending Ellen, Washington reunited with Goldwyn to present an award at the 2022 SAG Awards in February.