Denzel Washington recently spoke publicly about what he told Smith after he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

After Will Smith and Chris Rock’s altercation during the 94th Academy Awards, attendees saw Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry approach Smith.

After winning the Oscar for the Best Actor category, Smith mentioned in his speech that Washinton said to him, “At your highest moment, that’s when the devil comes for you.”

Washington appeared as a guest speaker at Bishop T.D. Jakes’ leadership summit on Saturday and was asked about what he told Will Smith after the Oscars altercation.

“Well, there’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong,” Washington said.

“You know, the devil goes, ‘Oh, no, leave him alone, he’s my favorite. Don’t bother him.’ Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because you’re trying to do something right. And for whatever reason, the devil got a hold of that circumstance that night,” he added.

Washington went on to say he believed prayer would help during that moment and that he, Smith and Perry prayed after the incident.

“Fortunately, there were people there, not just me, but others in the gap,” said Washington. “Tyler Perry came  immediately, right over there with me.”

Washinton didn’t go into detail about what exactly the three prayed about, but said, “Who are we to condemn? I don’t know all the ins and outs of the situation, but I know the only solution was prayer.”

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