Kerry Washington dismayed AdWeek cover scandal overshadows article

Kerry Washington felt compelled to speak out about her digitally-altered AdWeek cover shoot because she knew fans would be shocked by the edited image.

The Scandal star found herself at the center of controversy on Monday (04Apr16) after the magazine's TV writer tweeted out the photo of Kerry on the cover for the first time. Followers were quick to notice the actress looked different than normal, with critics specifically noting a possibly altered forehead and hairline.

On Tuesday (05Apr16), Kerry responded to the accusations with an open letter to the editors of the magazine, admitting she was "taken aback" by the picture featured on the cover.

She explained it wasn't the use of Photoshop which bothered her, it was the sheer extent of digital adjustments which completely changed the look of her face.

"It felt strange to look at a picture of myself that is so different from what I look like when I look in the mirror," she lamented on Instagram. "It's an unfortunate feeling."

Kerry has since expanded on her online comments in a new interview on breakfast show Today, insisting she was just dismayed the article she had been so proud of was overshadowed by the cover controversy.

"Honestly, my big complaint was that it felt altered, in general," she explained. "It wasn't that there was something specific, it was the feeling of looking at something and knowing that it had been altered."

Kerry continued, "I was really proud of the interview and really proud of the article - it talks a lot about my professional relationships and how hard I've worked to build those relationships with those brands. I was really excited about the article. When I saw the cover, I was taken aback, so I just felt like, in order for me to promote the magazine - which I wanted to do, because I think the article's great - I had to at least address (the cover), because I knew other people would notice that it didn't quite look like me."

And the 39-year-old makes it clear she has no problem with a touch of Photoshop: "It's not always bad; a wrinkle here, a wrinkle there...," she added, "but it should still look like the person!"