Kerry Washington spoke candidly about living with an eating disorder and what recovery looks like during a virtual luncheon hosted by Equip Health on Feb. 19 — a conversation she says reminds her that healing is ongoing, not a destination. 

“That idea of perfectionism is impossible in this recovery, because you can’t perfect something that’s ever-evolving,” she said. “I have to just be willing to continue to be curious and loving and show up.”

Washington, 49, has publicly discussed periods in her life when disordered eating included cycles of bingeing, extreme restriction, and compulsive exercise. She described recovery as a daily, active practice: “When I’m in recovery, my disease is outside, doing push-ups waiting for me,” she told attendees.

Her involvement with Equip Health is more than appearances: Washington joined the company as an advisor and investor in 2025, saying she wanted to help widen access to treatment and to challenge stereotypes about who develops eating disorders. “So much of what allows eating disorders to thrive is the shame and the secrecy,” she said.

Experts note that eating disorders affect people across genders and racial groups, and Washington urged the public and clinicians to broaden their view of who is affected. National data show binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in U.S. adults and that a substantial share of people with eating disorders are people of color — facts Washington referenced while urging listeners to disrupt assumptions that delay diagnosis and care. 

Washington also tied recovery to a fuller life beyond appearance: staying healthy, she said, is now “about fully living and having my life be about more than just what’s in the mirror and what I’m putting in my mouth.” Washington’s work on screen and in advocacy has included mental-health conversations for years. Her personal testimony was also a call to action to reduce shame, expand access to treatment, and recognize recovery as a lifelong practice rather than a single cure.