‘Scandal’ Kerry Washington’s Pregnancy Means Season 6 Won’t Air Until 2017


Fans are disappointed that they are going to have to wait until at least January to see what happens in the Scandal election, because Scandal will not return in the fall with the rest of the Shonda Rhimes dramas on ABC, due to Kerry Washington’s pregnancy. Washington was less than pleased hiding behind people and furniture on Scandal during her last pregnancy, so she put her foot down, and wants to take a break from Scandal during this pregnancy.

According to the Inquisitr, though Olivia Pope’s wardrobe on Scandal is the subject of much conversation, Kerry Washington is not interested in playing Olivia Pope in maternity clothes. Whether it’s black hat or white hat, Washington prefers to take some time off rather than try to hide her pregnancy, or include it in the Scandal storyline.

Hollywood Life is reporting that at the last minute, ABC has decided to make some adjustments with the next season of Scandal, and bumping it to the second half of the 2016-2017 season, so fans will likely not see Scandal until the new year. During Kerry Washington’s last pregnancy on the set of Scandal, she claims she was hidden behind furniture, purses, coats, lamps and anything that could mask her growing baby bump, but she didn’t want to go that route this time.

Kerry Washington’s pregnancy became public at the Met Gala, wearing a black dress that highlighted her baby bump. The Scandal star had her first child, a daughter, Isabelle in April of 2014.

The Chicago Tribune confirmed that Scandal will be moved to midseason as a result of Kerry Washington’s pregnancy, and her desire not to write it into the show, or cover it up.

With Scandal missing from the fall line-up, Shonda Rhimes will have to make a decision as to what will air between Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away With Murder. Now that The Catch has been renewed, and Rhimes’ new show Notorious is on the radar, one of those shows will likely take the place of Scandal temporarily.

Entertainment Weekly is saying that there is a sudden shake-up in Shondaland, but Shonda Rhimes will accommodate Kerry Washington’s pregnancy. There is some buzz that the network wanted to go ahead with Scandal, hiding Washington’s second pregnancy the way they hid the first one, but Washington pushed back, and drew a line in the sand, saying that she was taking some time off.

ABC’s Channing Dungey, who has had his hands full as of late with the network show Castle suddenly crashing and burning, made a statement that there were some sudden changes in the placement of Scandal for the fall.

“We did have to make some adjustments to Scandal for a variety of reasons that had to do with the production schedule.”

People Magazine says that Scandal fans have a lot to talk about while Scandal is on a long break due to Kerry Washington’s pregnancy. Most of the chatter about the Scandal cliffhanger has to do with Jake, and if Jake and Olivia have just played right into Rowan’s hands by placing Jake in the VP position on Mellie’s ticket.

The appearance of Cyrus on the Democratic side with Frankie Vargas was also a shock for fans, who thought Cyrus was stepping away from a public position on Scandal, but was this his plan all along?

Well, in the time that Scandal is on break, fans will now have plenty of time to come up with all sorts of theories about where Scandal will take Olivia Pope and her gladiators next.

Do you think that Kerry Washington will be back on Scandal in January?

[Photo by Richard Shotwell/AP Images]

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