Denzel Washington has now spoken publicly about Will Smith's shocking physical altercation with Chris Rock.
The Flight actor, 67, was seen comforting Smith, 53, after the King Richard star's unexpected outburst at the Oscars last weekend.
Now, Washington has broken his silence regarding one of the most shocking moments in Oscars history.
The Wrap reports that Washington attended author and bishop T.D. Jakes' leadership summit on Saturday morning to discuss his career as well as his faith.
According to the outlet, he spoke out about the incident and related it back to the Christian faith, with an interesting theory on why Smith smacked Rock: “There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong—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 ahold of him that night.”
“Fortunately there were people there, not just me but others [like] Tyler Perry came immediately right over there with me,” Washington added.
“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.”
At the 94th Academy Awards, Chris Rock, presenting the award for Best Documentary, made a comment in jest about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
That's when Smith launched onto the stage to strike the 57-year-old comic, who responded: "Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."
When Smith went back to his seat, he warned the comedian in no uncertain terms to "keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth."
The actor would later win the award for Best Actor for King Richard that evening.
The following day, the Pursuit of Happiness star apologized to both Rock and the Academy in an Instagram post, in which he said: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
He continued: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
"I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us."
Smith concluded his post: "I am a work in progress."
The actor has since resigned from the Academy.