Kerry Washington, the host of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday night, immediately responded to critics of celebrity political endorsements and threw her support behind Kamala Harris.
LIVE: DNC Day 4: Kamala Harris Accepts Nomination at Democratic Convention
"As I stand here, I know there are already people on social media saying, 'Go back to your TV show! Shut up and act.' But I'm not here tonight as an actor," Washington said at the top of her speech. "I'm here as a mother, as a daughter, as a proud union member. I'm here as a granddaughter of immigrants, as a Black woman descended from enslaved people. I'm here tonight because I'm an American, and I'm a voter, and because we the people are stronger when all of our voices are heard."
Washington's former TV mistress and "Scandal" colleague Tony Goldwyn, who hosted the convention's first night on Monday, joined her onstage to record a video for social media in which she roused the crowd: "When we fight, we win!"
Washington isn't the only celebrity lending her celebrity status to Harris' campaign on Thursday. There were performances by The Chicks and P!nk, and speeches by Eva Longoria and DL Hughley.
