Kerry Washington Reveals the Reason Why She Pinned Her Engagement Ring to Her "Undergarments"

"I loved my ring so much."

Kerry Washington attends the 55th Annual NAACP Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Kerry Washington is sharing the reason why she used to pin her engagement ring in a very unlikely and unconventional place.

During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's This Life of Mine with James Corden, the actress said that in order to keep her three year engagement and 2013 wedding to Nnamdi Asomugha private, she "used to ping my engagement ring to my undergarments."

"I loved my ring so much, so I would sleep in it at night, and then in the morning, I would pin it to my undergarments so that nobody knew we were engaged," she said, adding that at the time of the couple's engagement the pair were going through a "really crazy time."

"He had a groundbreaking, record-breaking contract that he had just walked through, and he had been in three or four Pro Bowls, you know," she explained. "When I met him, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and I was on this hit show."

Kerry Washington and husband Nnamdi Asomugha pose at a screening for Annapurna Pictures film "If Beale Street Could Talk" hosted by Kerry Washington at Landmark 57 Theatre on November 26, 2018 in New York City.

Kerry Washington and husband Nnamdi Asomugha pose at a screening for Annapurna Pictures film "If Beale Street Could Talk" hosted by Kerry Washington at Landmark 57 Theatre on November 26, 2018 in New York City.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Scandal star went on to say that at the time, it "felt like there was a lot of public energy around our careers," which is why she decided to hide her engagement ring in such an unconventional way.

"We kept our relationship very private when we were dating, I think mostly because we just wanted to protect ourselves and each other," she added.

"I think it's really hard when people have a lot to say about your relationship," she continued. "I had been in a really public engagement that when it ended, I was in the unfortunate position of being on the cover of a bridal magazine and it was a bridal magazine that came out quarterly, so for three months I walked around and I thought: 'I think I'm done talking about my personal life in the public.'"

Washington was previously engaged to actor David Moscow before the pair called it quits in March 2007.

Kerry Washington attends the 55th Annual NAACP Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Kerry Washington attends the 55th Annual NAACP Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While Washington didn't feel like she could show off her engagement ring at the time, she told host James Corden that a collection of shells from her honeymoon is easily her most prized possession.

"It has something to do with how much I loved that week. You know, the two happiest weeks of my life outside of anything having to do with children are my honeymoon and hosting SNL," she explained. "Whenever I look at that collection of shells, it reminds me of the space that we gave ourselves to start our life together as a couple in this really sacred way."

She went on to say that after her "secretive" wedding the pair were able to travel to a "very remote place to really begin our lives together."

"I love that. I love that jar," she added. "It always makes me feel so grateful for the life that I have."

Danielle Campoamor

Danielle Campoamor is an award-winning freelance writer covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mental health, politics, and feminist issues. She has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, and more.