Denzel Washington Breaks Silence on Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

Denzel Washington is speaking out about his experience at the 2022 Oscars, specifically his role in the aftermath of Will Smith’s slap on Chris Rock. The entire fiasco continues to roll through the muck a week removed from the incident, with murkiness seemingly covering the truth. But for Washington, his role was simple and seemed to provide some calm to Smith before his Best Actor speech.

Saturday saw Washington appear alongside Pastor T.D. Jakes at a Washington, D.C. leadership summit, allowing him to take a moment and reflect on the words he shared with Smith, who then referenced them on the Oscar stage. “There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong,” Washington said. “The devil goes, ‘Oh, no, leave him alone, he’s my favorite.’ Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something right. And for whatever reason, the devil got a hold of him that night.”

Washington then expanded upon what he did on the night, praising others who were present to lend their help. “Fortunately there were people there, not just me but others. Tyler Perry, came immediately right over there with me,” Washington continued. “Some prayers. I don’t wanna say what we talked about. But there but for the grace of God go any of us. Who are we to condemn? I don’t know all the ins and outs of this situation, but I know the only solution was prayer. The way I saw it. The way I see it.”

Many have questioned why Smith wasn’t removed after slapping Rock, while others questioned the ovation he received upon winning his award minutes later. Oscars producer Will Packer shared his point of view on Good Morning America on Friday, claiming that Smith had hoped his speech would change the tone following the assault.

“It wasn’t like this was somebody they didn’t know. Doesn’t make anything he did right or excuse his behavior at all,” Packer said. “but I think the people in that room stood up stood up for somebody that they knew, who was a peer, who was a friend, who was a brother, who has a three-decades-plus career of being the opposite of what we saw in that moment.

“I don’t think that they were people applauding anything about that moment. All these people saw their friend at his absolute worst moment and were hoping they could encourage him and lift him up and he would somehow make it better,” Packer added.

Not everybody shares the same view on the moment. Jim Carrey spoke out against the standing ovation and handling of the situation in his own interview on CBS with Gayle King, while director Pedro Almodóvar shared a far sharper criticism. “What I saw and heard produced a feeling of absolute rejection in me,” the director said, according to PEOPLE. “You don’t defend or protect the family with your fists, and no, the devil doesn’t take advantage of key moments to do his work,The devil, in fact, doesn’t exist. This was a fundamentalist speech that we should neither hear nor see.”

Smith resigned from The Academy late on Friday, acting before the body had time to determine a punishment and possibly remove him themselves. Still, the aftermath of the slap is a period that can be summed up by miscommunication and confusion. The only clear response from the event has been from Smith at this point, with his slap and his resignation. The rest still carries heavy question marks for onlookers.