Surprise! Kerry Washington revealed during a Tuesday, January 17, appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she didn’t know that she was having a boy when she gave birth to her son Caleb Kelechi in early October.
“I had no idea what I was having,” the 39-year-old actress told the talk show host of her second child, whom she shares with husband Nnamdi Asomugha. “I said I hoped it was human. That turned out to be right. It’s a human boy.”
DeGeneres then pointed out that she predicted Washington was going to welcome a son the last time the Scandal star stopped by her show in 2016. “Who needs DNA tests?” the mom of two — who also shares daughter Isabelle, 2, with Asomugha — joked. “Just go to Ellen!”

Washington also opened up about how she hid her baby bump while filming Scandal during her first pregnancy — and why she decided to take a break from the show while carrying baby No. 2. As fans will recall, Washington frequently hid behind large objects on season 3 of the hit ABC drama, which became a running joke for the cast and viewers.
Though she took a hiatus while filming season 6 (which premieres Thursday, January 26), Washington says the first few episodes will feature some expertly placed floral arrangements. “The first five episodes you’ll see me standing behind some flowers,” she said, “and then I might stand behind flowers just for fun so it doesn’t stop immediately, but I don’t need to anymore.”
Watch Washington’s interview with DeGeneres above.