Denzel Washington spoke openly about Will Smith's punch at Chris Rock

"For whatever reason, the devil caught him that night," the star of the Macbeth tragedy told a panel at Pastor TD Jakes' annual international leadership meeting on Saturday.

Denzel Washington made his first public comment about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards.

He was appearing on the panel at Pastor T.D.'s annual international leadership meeting. Jakes on Saturday, the 67-year-old explained why he happened after witnessing Smith's reaction to a joke Rock made on stage.

"There's no way I'm going to sit still," the Macbeth Tragedy star said on a live broadcast of The Wrap. "I'm not like that."

Washington, Tyler Perry, and Bradley Cooper were among the stars who spoke to 53-year-old actor King Richard shortly after meeting Rock, 57, over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who appears in a possible sequel to the film. 1997 film. Mr. GI Jane (Pinkett Smith, 50, publicly revealed in 2018 that she has alopecia).

"There's a saying that you know you're doing something wrong when the devil ignores you," Washington told Jakes. "The devil said, 'Oh no, leave him alone, he is my lover.' And conversely, when the devil comes to you, it's probably because he's trying to do the right thing, and for whatever reason, the devil caught him that night."

Smith won the Best Actor award at Sunday's awards ceremony for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the film King Richard in 2021. He apologized during his acceptance speech at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and called Washington: "At the highest of caution, then the devil will come for you," said Smith, which Washington told him before his speech.

Washington said he was fortunately not alone in talking to Smith after meeting Rock, confirming that "others [like] Tyler Perry came with me after the incident," according to the media.