Shonda Rhimes and Serena Williams are coming to Philly, the city that ‘says yes to it all’
"Grey's Anatomy" creator Rhimes is touring with "Year of Yes: 10th Anniversary Edition" and Philadelphia is her first stop
Shonda Rhimes will be in conversation with Serena Williams on Monday at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater.
Philadelphia is the Grey’s Anatomy creator and producer’s first stop on a six-city book tour for Year of Yes: 10th Anniversary Edition, a follow-up to her 2015 New York Times best-selling memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person.
In the first Year of Yes, Rhimes, a “self-described introvert,” shared how her decision to answer in the affirmative for an entire year changed her life. The 10th anniversary edition — to be released by Simon & Schuster on Tuesday, Oct. 14 — features an additional 120 pages and seven chapters of stories illustrating how she’s continuing to win with the three-letter word.
Rhimes’ big wins this decade include the nine-figure deal her production company, Shondaland, signed with Netflix in 2017, under which she produced the 19th-century romantic comedy Bridgerton; its prequel, Queen Charlotte; and the satire The Residence. Another win: the 2021 extension of that deal that includes podcasts, livestreams, and video games. (If we are on schedule, it should be time for Rhimes to say “yes” to another lucrative Netflix deal.)
“The point of me writing this 10-year update is to talk about [how] what I have said ‘yes’ to has changed, and what that means,” Rhimes said in an email to The Inquirer. “I have continued to grow … beginning with the moment I committed to this experiment up to now and [hopefully] into the future.”
In this new edition, Rhimes is saying yes to what scares her and possibilities she never imagined, like her move from Los Angeles to a Westport, Conn.,in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhimes purchased a $15 million mansion in 2022, the former home of Doug and Melissa Bernstein, creators of the Melissa & Doug toy company.
The Philadelphia stop was a no-brainer.
“Philadelphia has been saying yes to historic events since the start of our nation,” Rhimes said, adding that she’s excited about Philly’s WNBA team and America’s big 250th birthday party in the city next summer. “Philly says yes to it all,” she wrote.
Rhimes and Williams are longtime friends. Rhimes praised the tennis great for her “badassery” in life and on the court in the original Year of Yes. The two women have posted pictures of each other on social media over the years at tennis competitions as well as fancy dinners and galas.
Last year, Rhimes became an investor in Williams’ and husband Alex Ohanian’s Los Angeles Golf Club, one of the teams that plays in the TGL, a tech-focused golf league. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rhimes said yes to golf shortly after her cross-country move to Connecticut. Little did Rhimes know it would be the nudge she needed to say “yes” to Williams’ investment opportunity.
Williams will lead Rhimes in a conversation about moments that shaped her, fears she conquered, and the joy she found in embracing life with an open mind. The goal: to inspire readers and fans to move beyond anxiety and uneasiness with grace and say “yes” to living authentic lives.
“‘Year of Yes’ featuring Shonda Rhimes in conversation with Serena Williams,” Oct. 13, 7 p.m., Perelman Theater, inside the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad St., ensembleartsphilly.org