Denzel Washington was the first person to speak with Will Smith following his Oscars slap, and before his Best Actor award.
Washington and Pastor T.D. made their first public statements on Saturday. Jakes at the Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Although he was short on specifics, he did reveal his general philosophy on Smith’s actions.
“There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong,”Washington. “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 claimed that they prayed Oscar night. “Fortunately there were people there, not just me but others. Tyler Perry, came immediately right over there with me,”Washington. “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.”