The 'Unprisoned' actress attended the 2023 ABFFA in the red velvet Marc Bouwer dress originally worn by Whitney Houston in 1996.
Kerry Washington paid homage to an icon at the 2023 American Black Film Festival Awards. The Unprisoned actress channeled the late Whitney Houston by donning the same velvet Marc Bouwer dress the singer originally wore at the BET Walk of Fame Awards Gala in 1996.
Before Washington took to the red carpet, she posted a playful video on Instagram showing off the dress and paying tribute to the late singer. The clip begins with a voiceover that questions, "What's cooler than wearing Whitney Houston's dress?" Washington responds by lip-syncing to the chorus of Houston's "I Have Nothing."
In the video's caption, Washington added, "No lies told. Whitney Houston's ACTUAL @marcbouwer dress she wore in 1996 😱. Sooooooo incredibly special. #ABFFAwards here I come! ❤️❤️❤️."
Washington's stylist for the occasion, Law Roach, also took to Instagram to celebrate the look, posting a photo of Washington wearing the dress as she prepared for the awards show and a photo of Houston in the dress performing onstage.
"And then THIS happened…Thank you @marcbouwer for letting me go into your archives and borrow Whitney’s dress for @kerrywashington. #fLAWless," Roach wrote.
Bouwer responded to the award-winning Image Architect's post, writing, "MAJOR. Thank you Law! @kerrywashington ♥️♥️"
The celebrated actress recently walked the red carpet at the premiere of her new show, Unprisoned, in Los Angeles. Washington stars as Paige Alexander, a single mother and therapist whose world and regular routine is upended when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo), gets out of prison after a 17-year stint, and shows up hoping to make amends with his daughter while living with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
"It's funny because people used to come to me to fix things with my white hat," Washington told ET, referring to her role as political fixer Olivia Pope on Scandal. "And now people come to me for relationship advice."
"People, I'm just acting!" she added with a beaming smile. "I don't know any of this stuff. None of it!"
Considering that she and husband Nnamdi Asomugha are coming up on their 10th wedding anniversary, we would say that Washington probably knows more than she's giving herself credit for!
Unprisoned -- produced by ABC Signature -- will stream exclusively on Hulu starting March 10.
RELATED CONTENT:
