kerry washington
By now, Mariah Carey‘s annual “It’s Time!” videos — in which she cheekily sings the phrase in her whistling register before the opening notes of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” come in to ring in the Christmas season — are a holiday hallmark as much as snowmen and gingerbread cookies. In an Instagram video shared Monday (Oct. 28), Carey teamed up with Emmy-winning actress and producer Kerry Washington for an election-themed spin on the popular meme.
“No, no, no! It’s not your season yet, Mariah. It’s voting season!” Washington quips as she interrupts Carey’s “All I Want” intro while clad in a white T-shirt and black cap, both emblazoned with “vote.”
After a playfully annoyed “What? OK,” the five-time Grammy winner then affirmatively responds to Washington’s queries about her voting plans for Election Day (Nov. 5). “Have you registered? Have you made a plan?” Washington asks, alluding to the myriad ways voters can make their voices heard at the ballot box next month. Carey, in a characteristically Christmas-y red top, plaid skirt, black tights and boots, replied that she already registered to vote and “executed” her voting plan.
“That’s amazing!” Washington exclaimed. “Because it’s my season before it’s her season. So, now all we need is you!” To drive home the final word of her sentence, Washington and Carey returned to singing as they harmonized the “you” riff from the beginning of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Carey even vocalized a bit of the instrumental before the pair sang the opening note of the first verse in unison. Given Washington’s musical background — she starred in Ryan Murphy’s Golden Globe-nominated film adaptation of the Tony-nominated Prom musical in 2020 — the actress proved to be a formidable duet partner for the singer.
Carey and Washington’s cheeky clip continues the Scandal actress’ involvement in getting out the vote for the 2024 election. She served as emcee for the final night of August’s Democratic National Convention and recently lent her voice to a historic radio ad campaign targeting Black voters. Last year, Carey visited the White House with her twins Moroccan and Monroe to ring in the Christmas season with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
This year, Carey is celebrating 30 years of her Merry Christmas album, which has spent two weeks atop Holiday Albums. The legendary set, which houses her Billboard Hot 100-topping “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” will receive a special anniversary release later this year. On Nov. 6, she will kick off her Christmas Time tour in Highland, Calif. The trek will visit major cities such as Houston and Nashville before concluding in Brooklyn on Dec. 17.
Watch Mariah Carey and Kerry Washington’s video encouraging fans to vote:
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Source: Gilbert Flores / Getty / Kerry Washington
Spill, the Black-owned alternative to Elon Musk’s floundering platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has a big backer in Kerry Washington.
Tech Crunch reports that actress Kerry Washington is now an investor in the Black-owned social media platform Spill. The news comes as the platform celebrates its second year in existence.
Spill is the brainchild of Alphonzo Terrell, a former global head of editorial at Twitter who was laid off by the company following Musk’s reluctant acquisition of the platform, which he stupidly rebranded as X.
When Spill was created, he raised a $2 million seed extension and grew the app’s user base to around 200,000. One of those users was Emmy-Award-winning actress Kerry Washington.
Washington’s presence on Spill was very loud. She hosted Tea Parties, the platform’s name for live video conversations, and actively engaged in discussions with other users, encouraging people to vote.
Speaking with Tech Crunch, Terrell spoke about Washington’s presence on the platform.
“She’s incredibly accessible and knowledgeable, especially around these topics, and is not scared in any way, shape, or form about really engaging with people directly,” Terrell told the website. “I think it really does represent the kind of environment we want to cultivate on Spill … We’re all human here, too. Let’s connect.”
Washington, who is no stranger to making investments, added, “In a digital world where marginalized groups, especially Black, Brown, and LGBTQIA folks, rarely feel prioritized, Spill stands out. I’m proud to be part of this community as both a user and an investor.”
Spill Is Offering A New Space For Black & Brown Users To Be Creative On Social Media
Since Musk took over Twitter, users, specifically Black users, have sought a new platform to express their creativity. Spill, BlueSky, and Instagram Threads were among those options.
Spill has made significant strides in keeping people engaged on the platform. One reason is that it has found success in that area thanks to launching a live multiplayer Spades game.
We hope Spill continues to make a splash in the social media space.
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