Denzel Washington reacts to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock; 'Only solution was prayer'

Amidst the recent buzz created by Will Smith and Chris Rock's altercation at the Academy awards 2022, there have been numerous reactions from various celebrity artists who opened up about the incident sided with either Will Smith or Chris Rock. One of them was the American filmmaker and actor, Denzel Washington who made his first public comment about Will Smith slapping Comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards and revealed why he stood up from his seat. 

Amidst the recent buzz created by Will Smith and Chirs Rock's altercation at the Academy awards 2022, it was reported that the actor expressed his grief on hitting the comedian on stage and confessed that it was very impulsive. He even confessed that he didn't even consider the ramifications or how shocking he would look. Following Chris Rock's reaction to the same, the Men in Black actor resigned from The Academy. 

Denzel Washington opens up about Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock 

As Denzel Washington recently appeared on a panel at pastor T.D. Jakes' annual International Leadership Summit, live-streamed by The Wrap, he revealed why he got up from his seat after witnessing Will Smith's interaction with Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage and exclaimed, "No way I could have sat in my seat. That's just not who I am."

Furthermore, Denzel Washington even recalled an old saying popular around the world and while relating it with the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident, he mentioned, "There's a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you're doing something wrong," Washington told Jakes. "The devil goes, 'Oh no leave him alone, he's my favourite.' 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 ahold of him that night."

Stating further about what conversation he shared with Will Smith before the actor won the award, he explained, "I don't wanna say what we talked about there but for the grace of God on 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."

Academy accepts Will's resignation

David Rubin, the Academy president, accepted Smith's resignation and said in a statement, "We have received and accepted Mr Will Smith's immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." It further added, "We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr Smith for violations of the Academy's Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18."

Image: AP