TOPLINE Denzel Washington broke his silence about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on Saturday. He said, “For whatever reason, the devil got a hold of him that night,” one day after Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences while the group considered how to punish him.
Washington said that he and Tyler Perry went up to Smith during the commercial break after the slap and prayed with him. He said this at the International Leadership Summit.
Washington said he didn’t want to say what the three of them talked about, but he did say that, even though he didn’t know all the details, he thought “prayer was the only answer.”
During his acceptance speech for best actor, Smith thanked Washington and said that Washington told him, “When you’re at your best, be careful.” That’s when the devil comes for you.”
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Well, 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 favorite,'” Washington said. “On the other hand, if the devil attacks you, it might be because he’s trying to do something good.” And the devil got a hold of him that night for whatever reason.
KEY BACKGROUND
During Sunday’s Academy Awards, Rock joked about the baldness of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, a medical condition causing hair loss. Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock before returning to his seat and yelling at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.” Smith apologized on Instagram on Monday,
saying that a joke about Jada’s health was too much for him to handle. During a Boston stand-up show, Rock said he is “still kind of processing” what happened. Smith quit the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday and said he would take any punishment the group decides to give him while they look into what happened. It was thought that it would think about expulsion or suspension.
TANGENT
In an interview with CBS, Jim Carrey criticized the crowd for giving Will Smith a standing ovation after the slap when he won the Oscar for best actor. He said he was “sickened” by what the crowd did. Carrey said, “Hollywood has no backbone, and I felt like this was a clear sign that we are no longer the cool club.” Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, took a more casual approach. He said, “I’m just so sick of hearing people’s opinions about that.” “I just don’t want to add my voice to the mix.
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