Denzel Washington shared his thoughts on Will Smith’s slap at the Oscars after comforting him immediately afterwards.
Washington was one of the first people to speak to the actor following the incident in which the actor went on stage to punch Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Though Smith claimed he was defending Pinkett Smith from a joke about his alopecia diagnosis, a source close to Rock says he had “no idea” about it. Smith, who faces disciplinary action from the Academy, announced his resignation from the awards office on Friday (April 1).
On Saturday (April 2), Washington spoke publicly on the topic for the first time at a leadership summit in Washington DC. During Smith’s tearful best actor speech, delivered after winning for King Richard an hour after beating Rock, the actor recounted how Washington told him, “Be careful in your best moments; Then the devil will come for you.”
According to Deadline, in recognition of what he said to Smith about the incident, Washington noted, “There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, you know you’re doing something wrong. The devil says, ‘Oh no, leave him alone, he’s my darling.’”
“Conversely, if the devil comes your way, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something right. And for some reason the devil got hold of him that night.”
Washington said he and Smith prayed after the actor punched Rock.
“Fortunately there were people there, not just me but others too. Tyler Perry came over with me right away and we said some prayers,” Washington said.
“I don’t want to say what we’re talking about, but by the grace of God each of us is walking. Who should we judge? I don’t know all the details of this situation, but I do know that the only solution was prayer. As I saw it. How I see it”.
Will Smith delivered a tearful acceptance speech after beating Chris Rock at the Oscars
(Getty Images)
After Smith apologized to Rock, the comedian said during his first show since the incident on Wednesday (March 30) that he was “still processing” what happened.
Here’s what Smith’s retirement from the academy means for his future at the Oscars.
Images showing Pinkett Smith’s reaction to the incident surfaced on the internet days after the incident. Meanwhile, a video was shared on social media showing Rock looking dazed immediately after the goal.