Why Denzel Washington Missed Presidential Medal of Freedom Moment

Denzel Washington was the only actor to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year, but he was unable to accept the honor from President Joe Biden in person at the White House Thursday. The two-time Oscar winner, 67, tested positive for COVID-19 just before the ceremony. Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, Gabrielle Giffords, and the late Steve Jobs were also among this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.

“Denzel tested positive for COVID and so he was unfortunately unable to attend the Medal of Freedom award ceremony,” Washington’s representative told PEOPLE. “He feels fine.” Biden also mentioned that Washington could not be at the White House, and the administration plans to honor him for his acting career and service as the National Spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America at a later date.

“There’s a man who couldn’t be here today but wanted to be: Denzel Washington, one of our greatest actors in American history. Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Tony Awards, (and) wide acclaim from audiences and peers around the world,” Biden said, reports Entertainment Tonight. “He couldn’t be here with us today, but I’ll be giving him this award at a later date when he’s able to get here.”

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor. Biles made history as the youngest recipient of the honor. Sister Simone Campbell, Dr. Julieta Garcia, civil rights leader Fred Gray, Father Alexander Karloutsos, Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center founder Khizr Khan, COVID-19 first responder Sandra Lindsay, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee founder Diane Nash, former Sen. Alan Simpson, Ret. Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, and civil rights advocate Raul Yzaguirre also received honors Thursday. Jobs, Sen. John McCain, and former AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka received posthumous honors.

“On Monday, we celebrated the independence of our nation, a nation always a work in progress in creation of possibilities, the fulfillment of promises,” Biden said. “That’s the American story. It’s not a simple one. It’s never been a simple one, but the fourth of July week reminds us what brought us together long ago and still binds us, binds us at our best. We strive for — what we strive for, we, the people, doing what we can to ensure the idea of America, a cause of freedom shines like the sun to light up the future of the world. That’s the soul of our nation.”

If any working actor deserves a President Medal of Freedom, it’s Washington, regarded as one of the best movie stars working today. He won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Glory. Washington became the first Black actor to win Best Actor thanks to Training Day. He earned his most recent nod earlier this year for The Tragedy of Macbeth, and he is the most-nominated Black actor in Oscars history.

Washington has also been the National Spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 25 years. In 2018, he told PEOPLE that the organization helped make him the person he is today. “My father was a Pentecostal preacher who taught me the importance of faith. My mother was a beautician who sacrificed to get me the best education possible,” Washington said. “But I also had a local Boys & Girls Club with mentors who cared and gave me the confidence I needed to set higher goals than I might have.”