Shonda Rhimes Shares Which of Her TV Characters Need a ‘Year of Yes’

Shonda Rhimes is a beloved figure in the entertainment industry, known for creating some of television’s most iconic shows, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “Private Practice” and “How to Get Away with Murder.” Rhimes, 55, is also known for writing some of the most dramatic storylines that have kept viewers in suspense for decades.

In conversation with Robin Roberts at the Shonda Rhimes in Conversation event, the TV producer and mother of three discussed the 10th anniversary of her 2015 memoir, “The Year of Yes: How to Dance, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person.” Alongside the book, Rhimes explained which of her well-known characters could benefit from their own “Year of Yes.”

According to Rhimes, Olivia Pope, the political fixer known for sowing chaos in Washington, D.C., on the drama “Scandal,” is the only character who needs her own “Year of Yes.”

Rhimes admitted that Pope, played by the legendary Kerry Washingtonstill had a lot to live up to when the show first aired. “She’s had a tough life. I think she could really benefit from a ‘yes’.”

For those unfamiliar, Rhimes’ memoir, “Year of Yes,” chronicles the writer’s year-long journey of saying “yes” to everything that made her slightly nervous or fearful — from speaking engagements to “uncomfortable conversations.”

In fact, Rhimes told Roberts that this last lesson was one she had kept close to heart over the years, mainly because she grew up as a person who was afraid of conflict. However, as she got older, Rhimes said she found herself in more awkward situations by not saying what she wanted to say the first time. “So now, 10 years later, … I say the hard thing first, as the first part of the sentence,” she said. said.

For Rhimes, coming out of the gate swinging with the hardest part of what needed to be said helped her immensely in navigating difficult waters. “I say it, you know, whether it’s, ‘You can’t work here anymore,’ or ‘This relationship isn’t working,’ or ‘You’ve asked for too much, too many times,'” she said. “Or to my daughter: ‘You won’t get a nose ring no matter what you say.'”

Recently, Rhimes released an expanded version of her memoir “Year of Yes,” adding seven new chapters based on her experiences since its initial publication. While reworking the post, Rhimes admitted to getting emotional thinking about what she had written the first time.

“Like anyone who hadn’t read the book in a long time, I sat down and reread what I had written, and my heart went out to this person,” she said. “My heart went out to this woman who was so withdrawn and so shy.”

Rhimes added that the woman who wrote the first version of the book in 2015 is not the same person in 2026. “I could feel the pain that I was clearly feeling in that moment, and it made me realize that so much has happened in the intervening 10 years that I almost don’t recognize the person at the end of the book,” she said.

Rhimes explained that people today can notice that the writer’s behavior has completely changed. “People tell me I look lighter and more… just more comfortable in my own skin, I think. And maybe I’m having a lot more fun,” she said.

In 2024, when Washington — who also has credits in “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Django Unchained,” “The Simpsons” and more — received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the actress and mother of three opened up about how playing Olivia Pope (the first Black woman in a network TV drama in 40 years) had a major impact on her.