How Will 'Scandal' Handle Kerry Washington's Real Life Pregnancy?

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Scandal finally returns tomorrow night, Thursday February 27  at 10/9 C on ABC and the show's fans will finally find out what happens next to Olivia Pope and President Fitzgerald Grant and how the show is going to handle the luminous Kerry Washington's in real life pregnancy.

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Kerry Washington has been proudly displaying her baby bump on the red carpet. She's been wearing beautiful form-fitting gowns that accentuate her growing belly, but in the new promo for Scandal, it looks like producers are covering it up. Olivia Pope can be seen sporting beautiful big and baggy coats and holding a giant purse in front of her stomach.

It looks like Scandal showrunner Shonda Rimes is repeating the strategy she employed when Ellen Pompeo got pregnant on season six of Grey's Anatomy. So, get ready to see Washington get a lot of closeups that purposely obscure her body.

Do shows have to cover up a star's pregnancy with props and costume? Not at all! Some shows have embraced a surprise pregnancy by writing it into the plot. Which sitcoms turned their leading ladies's impending motherhood into the plot? Which dramas ignored it? Which show turned a star's maternity leave into an alien abduction? And which super famous producer actually fired an actress from a show because she was going to have a baby?

Click through the gallery above to find out how Hollywood handles real life pregnancies and how Scandal is likely to tackle Washington's pregnancy without turning it into a celebrity scandal.

[Photo Credit: ABC/Getty Images]