[5][6] Washington gained wide recognition for starring as crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–2018).

She was further Emmy-nominated for her roles as Anita Hill in the HBO political film Confirmation (2016), and a troubled mother in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020).

She returned to the Broadway stage starring in the Christopher Demos-Brown play American Son and reprised her role in the 2019 television adaptation on Netflix.

[16] She attended George Washington University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1998 with a double major in anthropology and sociology.

[17] She was in the cast of the 1996 PBS sketch comedy-style educational series Standard Deviants,[17] and she appeared in the short "3D" and the feature film Our Song in 2000.

In 2002 she played Chris Rock's love interest in the spy thriller Bad Company, a film that represented a turning point for her, in that it was the first time in her career that she had made enough money annually to qualify for health insurance under SAG.

[17] In 2007, she co-directed and appeared in the music video for hip-hop artist Common's song, "I Want You", the fourth single from his album Finding Forever[23] and became a spokesperson for L'Oréal, appearing in commercials and ads alongside fellow actresses, Scarlett Johansson and Eva Longoria, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Aishwarya Rai, Maya Karin and model Doutzen Kroes.

[24] Washington narrated the critically acclaimed documentary about the New Orleans–based teenage TBC Brass Band, From the Mouthpiece on Back.

[40] According to the show's costume designer, Lyn Paolo, the success of Olivia Pope's wardrobe was based on "this idea of having [her character] wear such soft, feminine colors in a man's world".

20 on Forbes magazine's annual list of the highest-paid actors in television and was announced as the new face of Neutrogena skin care.

[46] Washington played the lead role in Confirmation, an HBO movie directed by Rick Famuyiwa about Anita Hill's testimony during Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination, which aired in 2016.

[53] That same year, Washington starred in the Broadway play American Son written by Christopher Demos-Brown, following two parents arriving at a police station in the middle of the night looking for answers.

[55] She then starred in Live in Front of a Studio Audience on ABC in a recreation of The Jeffersons, portraying the role of Helen Willis.

[56] The same year, she reprised her role in the film adaptation of the Broadway play American Son, which she also executive produced, for Netflix.

[60][61] That same year, she served as an executive producer and starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere, an adaptation of Celeste Ng's 2017 novel of the same name.

[68] Washington will next star in the war drama The Six Triple Eight directed by Tyler Perry, and in the action thriller Shadow Force.

[69][70] She will also star alongside an ensemble cast in Rian Johnson's third installment of the Knives Out film series, titled Wake Up Dead Man.

[81][82] In 2007, Washington and other celebrities joined for the 2007 Lee National Denim Day, supporting the Women's Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

[83] In September 2012, Washington spoke at the Democratic National Convention in favor of re-electing Barack Obama, with her speech focusing on addressing voter apathy.

[90][91] She is a member of the Creative Coalition; which is a board of actors, writers, musicians, and producers that explore issues that are at the forefront of national discourse.

[93] In March 2016, Washington and fellow ShondaLand colleagues, Ellen Pompeo, Viola Davis and Shonda Rhimes, appeared in a commercial endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.