Denzel Washington on Will Smith: ‘There but for the grace of God, go any of us’

Denzel Washington is a deeply religious man. He is the son of a preacher, and a regular church-goer at Church of God in Christ. When Denzel and Tyler Perry pulled Will Smith aside just minutes after Will slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, some suggested that Will was speaking to “the church elders.” Which I think means that Bradley Cooper was temporarily deputized as some kind of deacon for the night, because he was also trying to help Will. Anyway, Denzel didn’t say one word publicly about Will in the hours and days following the Oscars. But on Saturday, Denzel spoke with pastor TD Jakes at the International Leadership Summit, and he was asked about what went down and what he spoke about with Will that night. Will had even referenced Denzel in his Oscar speech, quoting Denzel’s words, “At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.” Here’s what Denzel had to say about all of that:

Denzel Washington has spoken publicly for the first time about the 2022 Oscars and his response during the ceremony after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the stage of the Dolby Theatre. After the slap, Washington — who was nominated for Macbeth — was seen with writer-director Tyler Perry talking to Smith, in a conversation ahead of the King Richard star’s best actor win and teary-eyed acceptance speech, which doubled as an apology to the Academy.

Following Jakes telling Washington during the Saturday event he had “stepped in the middle of World War III,” the actor responded first with humor. “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,’” Washington said, laughing, before becoming more solemn. “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 ahold of that circumstance that night.”

Washington went on to say that fortunately people were there including Perry, who he said came over immediately and shared in prayers with Smith. The actor declined to discuss what was said between the men at the time and also declined to condemn Smith. “There but for the grace of God, go any of us. Who are we to condemn?” Washington asked. “I don’t know all the ins and outs of the situation, but I know the only solution was prayer.”

Later during the panel, Washington also told Jakes when the topic of the actor remaining in his seat was broached that it wasn’t an option for him to not get up and address Smith. “I couldn’t have sat in my seat. No way I could have sat in my seat,” he said. “That’s just not who I am.”

[From THR]

Wow, Will Smith really did have a huddle with the church elders, it was no joke. Tyler and Denzel were praying with Will and trying to help him using faith. Denzel’s thing about the devil is sort of poorly stated? I think he’s saying… if you don’t feel the devil f–king with you, that’s when you’ve got to worry, because you’re one of the devil’s favorites? But when you feel the devil f–king with you, that means you’re doing something right in your life. But honestly, the best part of it is “There but for the grace of God, go any of us. Who are we to condemn?” Mahatma Washington.

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81 Responses to “Denzel Washington on Will Smith: ‘There but for the grace of God, go any of us’”

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  1. Janet says:

    Yeah I’m not feeling the whole the devil made me do it bs. I do feel that Will is owning his wrong and trying to grow.

    • Betina says:

      That’s not at all what is being communicated. I think a lot of the reporting on this lacks the cultural context of black America and our relationship to God and it’s coming across. I know exactly what Denzel is communicating and it’s a very typical statement or sentiment in the black church community. And given that he’s speaking to TD Jakes, it’s clear to me who the audience is.

      • Seraphina says:

        @Betina, thank you. I have been trying to gather my words but you state it so eloquently. I have been told Denzel is a man of faith – this entire story shows how much that is true. Much respect to him and how he has handled this situation thus far.

        Edit: For those who do not understand what Denzel was saying, read Betina’s comment. His comment will not be understood by everyone.

      • Ohcomeon says:

        Yes. All of this.

      • Christine says:

        Thank you for this explanation, I absolutely did not get it initially.

    • equality says:

      He’s not saying the devil made Will do it; he is saying that Will gave in to temptation.

      • RoyalBlue says:

        exactly this. he is saying temptation and pride will come for you when you are at your peak. the fall is what will humble us. he is also not judging anyone in this situation by saying there go I but for the grace of God. under similar circumstances perhaps we would all react the same.

      • A.Key says:

        Temptation to hit Chris Rock came from his own inflated ego and hurt pride, not the devil. Saying the devil appears and starts tempting you is basically saying the devil made me do it in a roundabout way.
        Yes Will’s ego grew too big for his shoes and made him overstep boundaries and behave inappropriately. That’s all on his ego alone, not on the devil.
        I am sick of people blaming the darkness within all our hearts on something outside of us and our control.
        And yes I am a Christian and know exactly where this type of talk and thinking comes from….and I’ve had enough of it.

    • Zee says:

      You are cluess

  2. Sasha says:

    I’m not religious and don’t completely understand.. but maybe it could be interpreted as: Will’s impulse to protect his wife was right and honourable, but that is when the devil tries to steer us wrong and it led to the slap? If we go about our life doing wrong the devil doesn’t bother with us because we’re already doing wrong so he’s satisfied? *shrug* I think any position of trying to understand and not condemn is generally a good one and Denzel seemed clearly to be experienced by Will as helpful on the night – so go Denzel!

    • Lemon says:

      It means the impulse to act badly (sin) is there for all of us. And if you fail to notice it (the devil tempting you to sin) and act out in hurting others or yourself, you’re not being a decent person (acting in good faith).

      Religion is essentially a moral structure if you take away worship and deities. Sins are just ways to be an asshole or self harming. We all want to do these things sometimes. Lash out, maybe not in violence like Will, but maybe in mean words intended to hurt because we are hurt. Prayer is intended to help you think about your actions. If you grow up religious then you’re taught we are all fallible because of Origin Sin courtesy of the Devil 😈 and we need to see him in our everyday lives.

      Source: lapsed Catholic

  3. North of Boston says:

    DW took the leadership path trying to de escalate the situation that night, which was good. But bringing God or the devil in as the why, he does here or WS in his speech, they way it was done seems put distance between a person and their actions, “the devil came for me” or “made me do it” ignores free will, and the choices people make that enable or make it easier for them to do things they might regret later. (ETA: I see Betina’s comment now and see where DW is coming from in the context those comments were made)

    And maybe it’s just worded oddly, but to me there’s a HUGE difference between calling someone out for their behavior and condemning them.
    How DW worded it makes it sound like the church-going version of screaming “cancel culture!” whenever anyone reacts negatively to their fave doing or saying something .

    Yeah, there *were* some people on SM screaming for WS to be arrested or have his Oscar revoked but that didn’t seem to be the majority in the corners I’m in. mostly I’ve seen “what WS did was wrong and the Academy should condemn his actions and ban him from next year’s ceremony” or “both WS and CR were way out of line” or like the voices here saying they see where CR was way over the line targeting JPS and they really appreciate or at least can understand what WS did.

    IDK, maybe DW’s just talking about his own reaction, why he chose to stand up, step in and help that night, instead of stepping back and judging, and not the reaction in general.

    • pottymouth pup says:

      While he was using a common church saying to characterize the situation, he was not literally saying that the devil made Smith do it. I’m white & Jewish but even I know better than to jump to that conclusion & think it’s very clear that Denzel was not using church words to scream “cancel culture,” or make a defense that Smith is not culpable for his own actions.

      • BothSidesNow says:

        Right! Denzel was not trying to excuse Will’s actions but to further expand on his actions. And Denzel is right about this, “There but for the grace of God, go any of us. Who are we to condemn?”. We have all done things in our lives that have caused harm, intentional or not, and none of us are free from judgement. We should all take what happened as a reaction in which WS allowed his anger to react to CR instead of just allowing it to pass. But I still cannot get the look of Jada out of my head, as she was clearly hurt. I think that we should all put ourselves into Will’s shoes before we condemn him.

      • SomeChick says:

        @BothSides & @pottymouth (tee hee!), I agree completely.

        Will reacted in anger and lost his shite. what he was reacting to was a cruel, bullying “joke” trashing Jada. which as we know, Chris has been doing for literally 15 years – since W&J got engaged. none of it happened in a vacuum.

        I’m glad his friends went over and helped.

  4. Michael says:

    It is interesting to see how few celebs are saying anything about Chris Rock or checking on him to see if he is ok but tons of them are talking about WIll Smith. I guess they chose their side mostly

    • Thinking says:

      Maybe he’s insulted the rest of them at some point. That’s what I keep wondering or questioning. I’m not saying he’s definitely done this — I’m just saying the question crosses my mind. People aren’t usually that cold towards someone who got slapped. The only thing I can figure is that he’s made cracks to their face and one is less likely to take up for someone in that context, even if we rationally know it’s wrong to slap someone.

    • TheOriginalMia says:

      What those celebs saw was a black man and his family at a ceremony celebrating his accomplishments having his wife denigrated by another black man, who denigrates black women in his “comedy” routine. Maybe they knew Chris was okay and was being supported backstage. Maybe they were concerned more about Will Smith because this was outside of his normal behavior.

    • Lightpurple says:

      They are being asked about Will Smith, not Chris Rock. We have no idea what was going on backstage

    • MsIam says:

      I get the feeling Chris Rock is not well liked or not as liked as Will. There is a back story here, it may or may not come out. The slap didn’t come out of the blue. At any rate, Will knows he was wrong and seems willing to take his lumps.

      • Songs (Or It Didn't Happen) says:

        To be fair, Will Smith sat back down in a room full of people. Chris Rock left the stage and went to a more private area. It wasn’t as easy to just walk over and talk to CR immediately.

      • Truthiness says:

        Chris is really well liked in the comedian community, it’s like family. Comedians putting their foot in it is a bit common, they support each other, it’s very much “there but for the grace of God goes I.” SNL was better than usual last night and they dealt with both the Ginny Thomas issue and the Oscars as well as we could have hoped.

    • SourcesclosetoKate says:

      Will Smith has more Hollywood friends than Chris Rock. But CR is getting a lot of public support.

    • Mitochondrial Eve says:

      Do you actually find that interesting or are you just in your feelings?

  5. HeyKay says:

    I’m sorry but, it still seems to me it was out of control and violent.
    In legal terms is this not asault?

    IDK, I am still wondering what was going on behind it all.
    Will Smith will be dogged by this the remainder of his career, IMO.
    And, to some degree I think Chris Rock will also.

    • MsIam says:

      It would be a misdemeanor assault at most. Will would get a ticket for disorderly conduct or probation and possibly anger management. As far as dogging the rest of his career? I bet it will be a foot note. Other careers have gone on and his will too.

      • BothSidesNow says:

        Yup!! Will Smith has been in Hollywood for decades and will continue to keep working. This will eventually die down, he will continue to try and make things right but his career will continue without any repercussions, I would imagine.

        Many have committed much, much worse atrocities and have walked away without a scratch. But Will is black and the Academy is less forgiving when the pigment is different.

    • WiththeAmerican says:

      I’m not here to tell you how to feel, but as someone who has witnessed a lot more violence on movie sets than this display, I do wonder when people talk about how “violent” it was.

      A slap? Really? I mean, not condoned but “violent”? Chris Rock was hardly in danger. Will wasn’t out of control, since he slapped and walked. Out of control violence keeps going (like the clip of
      Hayden Pantierre and her bf beating others people for ten minutes at a bar) and would involve others having to intervene to pull the person off, because the person is “out of control.”

      • Elo says:

        @withtheamerican
        Exactly this.
        I didn’t think it looked violent or out of control.

      • SunnyW says:

        I wonder the same. Especially the “what if it wasn’t a slap and was instead an axe, and instead of Chris Rock it was Betty White, and he had killed her! I’m sorry I can’t sleep now, I’m sickened” reactions. Like, a slap is not cool, but it was a slap and it was one and done. If he had punched him, then kicked him over and over, I would understand.

        As someone on twitter said, “a lot of these folks like their violence systemic, not individual.”

      • WiththeAmerican says:

        @Elo and @SunnyW thank you, this whole thing has been crazy making, it’s good to know I’m not alone in my perceptions.

    • Mitochondrial Eve says:

      In legal terms this was battery. Why are you so fixated on the legality of a slap? You think we need to send in the Klan because the brown folk are out of control?

      This hysteria over the “violence” is starting to give Birth of a Nation c. 1915 vibes.

      Please stop.

  6. Roo says:

    I do think it was gracious and kind of Washington, Perry and even Cooper to come to his aid when he was clearly troubled and in distress. I give them huge credit for going to help him.

    • BothSidesNow says:

      It was very gracious for them to all approach Will as he was apparently filled with so much anger at CR that he acted in that manner. Will Smith has been able to survive Hollywood for decades but I still find that what Chris Rock said was completely unacceptable and wrong, wrong on every level!!! Chris Rock is notorious for demeaning Black women and he has to STOP!!! It’s not acceptable then and it’s not acceptable NOW!!! Chris is a misogynistic a$$hole and has always been!!

      Now, that doesn’t excuse what Will did as he should have handled it differently, but from what I have read, CR has been using JPS as a “joke” in his skits since 1997, so I would imagine that there was some pent up anger in WS. Still doesn’t excuse what he did.

      But Will Smith is trying to make things right. He has relinquished his membership to the Academy and apologized that evening and has continued apologize.

  7. Anners says:

    “Bradley Cooper was temporarily deputized as some kind of deacon for the night” = 🤣🤣💀

    That line is 《perfection 》and I will be thinking about it (and laughing) all day.

  8. Ines says:

    Is he referring to the literal devil?

    • Merricat says:

      No.

    • RoyalBlue says:

      it’s a metaphor.

    • Normades says:

      I am 100% an atheist but could take Denzel’s words to heart. “The devil” could symbolize rage, pride, folly, etc…

      • Ines says:

        I understand that this can be interpreted in many ways. Posters in this thread have explained how we could replace the word “devil” with pride or ego, or anger. I get it. My question is not about how I could interpret it, but how did he mean it and if he was taking about the literal devil. I’m told that was not the case, so my question was answered.

  9. Angela says:

    Wanda Sykes said she saw Chris after the slap. A real divide between actors and comedians. The actors took care of their own after the slap.

    • Seraphina says:

      Basic human nature – they sided with the person whom they most identify with. I can completely understand where the comedians are coming from in this situation. No doubt they are like WTF???? Asking rhetorically, what if that were them. And in the professional setting they were in, they felt a certain safety and they all think they are among “their own” professionally (meaning actors and comedians). The LAST think rock expected was that. In fact, he was laughing up until he got hit thinking Will would maybe say something humorous to insult Rock.

  10. Laalaa says:

    I mean… really not the point but putting Denzel next to “son of a preacher” made me so… The only one who could ever reach me…
    Ooof. 😀

  11. osito says:

    I wonder if some of Denzel’s outreach that night was calling Will back in to the fold, if you will.

    Will and Jada either are Scientologists or have flirted heavily with Scientology for years, which would be pretty repulsive to Christians in the Washington/Perry style. I wonder if Denzel and Tyler seized the moment not only as a signal to the room that Will wasn’t going to be shunned, but as a prime opportunity to try to ground and center him in their faith.

    I think Will has been hurt and floundering for a long while. He seemed emotionally off-kilter long before the Red Table talk, but he was able to word-salad and smile his way out of much scrutiny. The inexcusable, violent manifestation of that emotional imbalance is one of the things that can happen when you walk through life untreated and in denial.

    I think Sci exploits mental illness, and I also find the “swooping in” of devotees of other faiths exploitative as well. Denzel used a metaphor to communicate his empathy for Will’s behavior, but if he didn’t couple it with “let’s get you some therapy. I’ve got a great doc who I trust,” then I find it as suspect as I would if Kirstie Alley had done the same.

    • death by bacon says:

      and let the church say amen, especially with the therapy part.

    • Seraphina says:

      @Osito, I think that DW knew he could immediately offer comfort to a friend and was not trying to center him “in their faith”. It must be shared faith – There must be a common thread there for DW and TP to go offer assistance. I could be wrong, but that’s my take on it.
      And your take on Will floundering for a while, I completely agree with you. I read somewhere that anger is sadness that had nowhere to go for a long time. He definitely needs therapy.

      • osito says:

        @Seraphina — I was just wondering because I have experienced this same phenomenon in my personal life. It was more a passing thought about how instead of words about the devil, at those low moments, I needed someone to assert and validate that I needed real help. And the people who tried to use my pain to get me into the church had great intentions based on their perspectives but were ultimately the least helpful of all.

        I love your quote about anger being sadness. I think Will has been disrespected for a long time, especially by black men and black comedians, for *not* being “hard” enough. I think Will has been vulnerable and willing to talk about his sadness, but I don’t know that he’s found a way to find support that feels meaningful to him in it. I hope he finds that support.

        (To be clear, I’m not saying that he doesn’t have support or that Jada isn’t it. I go to therapy to deal with the issues that my husband’s love will never be able to fix, nor is it his job to do so. That’s what I mean.)

      • Seraphina says:

        @Osita, I completely get what you are saying. I had a rough patch in my life and prayer helped a great but I felt I needed more. Went to a therapist and it was the BEST thing I could have done for myself. Sometimes more than church and prayer are needed.
        And yes Will has been disrespected for a long time. And all of that keeps piling on a person. I really hope he gets therapy. Society needs to understand that a healthy mind is also needed – it controls the body.
        It’s wonderful you are in therapy. I always will thank my doctor for sending me and will always thank my therapist for understanding what I needed.

    • FF says:

      I really don’t see his actions as out of control just poor judgement in the moment.

      He didn’t hit Rock with a fist, hit him repeatedly, strike out at others, or need to be dragged off stage.

      The “out of control” idea seems to stem from some dog whistle ideas about Black men and violence. It actually seemed a very measured strike but just plain wrong as an act and a terrible decision. Which he’s more than paying for – btw – given that I’m hearing of his projects being stopped and people claiming they won’t be forwarding work to his production company – which I think is ott when he’s not the only one involved in those companies/businesses which surely have employees.

      The hand-wringing I’m seeing really has the energy of white people claiming a sense of unsafety around Smith because of this, which is questionable given how safe they seem to feel around established white transgressors.

      • SunnyW says:

        100%. Even here someone said “the inexcusable violence” – um, hockey games, st Patrick’s day in Boston, football tailgates, feature far worse violence, on film, and it’s laughed off. I wonder why.

        Didn’t see these reactions when Kyle Rittenhouse killed people either.

        Watching American white folk react to the slap, liberal and conservative, has been exhausting.

      • WiththeAmerican says:

        Yea. I took this out of my above comment because it was directed at a posters comment and I didn’t want to make them feel attacked, but the “it was so violent” feels blatantly racist to me.

        A man SLAPPED another man in defense of his wife. If he were white we’d probably be giving him an award for courtesy.

      • osito says:

        I’m a black woman, and I find violence inexcusable. I’m a black woman who understands black love and generational trauma, and I find violence inexcusable. I understand why Will slapped Chris, and I still find violence inexcusable.

        He had reasons for doing what he did. He has a history of trauma around DV and not being able to protect his mother because he was a *child*. And that is all the more reason to wrap him in love and therapy and not excuse a violent moment. He needs help, and I don’t feel like being an enabler with my tiny voice on the internet.

        Does that mean that he needs to be arrested? No. Did he need to be removed from the ceremony? No. Does he “look bad”? No. He’s human. He had a human moment, and he needs human help.

      • osito says:

        Also, @sunnyw, I don’t even know how to address this.

        I truly don’t.

        I said Will Smith needs therapy and support. I hate sports, in part because of the violence inflicted on black bodies and the imbalance between players and “owners”. I haven’t been around CB commenting too often in a while, but have been all over comment sections in the past decrying racism and racist behavior.

        I had one thought about why DW and TP behaved the way they did — because at my lowest moments I’ve had family try to bamboozle me back into the church and I got that vibe here, too — and not only is my racial identity *assumed* to be non-black, but we’re going to throw an actual white-supremacist killer’s name into my mouth?

        Rationally, I understand that you don’t know me and can’t know how deeply offensive I find your assumption. But I don’t even know how to communicate to you that just because I don’t think slapping people is a cool move doesn’t mean I don’t experience racial violence myself because *I am a black woman*.

  12. TheOriginalMia says:

    As posted in the other thread, Will isn’t a Scientologist and Jada may have flirted with it, but isn’t one either.

  13. BlueNailsBetty says:

    I completely understand “devil” is a concern for some people (me, as well). For those who are concerned with the use of “devil” try substituting “ego” and see how it feels. It especially works in the “when you are at your highest, that’s when the ego comes for you”.

    I realize DW is deliberately using “devil” and is speaking to a particular audience and that is totally cool. I’m just trying to help people who aren’t that audience connect with what he’s saying because he is absolutely right.

    • Petra says:

      Well done @BlueNailsBetty. The “devil” is anything that impede good judgement. In this case I say self sabotage was definitely a devil that day.

  14. Lizzie Bathory says:

    I understand Denzel’s language can be confusing if you’re not familiar with his faith, but he’s not excusing Will’s behavior, nor is he literally blaming an outside force for making Will do anything. He’s approaching the situation with radical love, empathy & forgiveness, consistent with the teachings of Jesus. Add to that the cultural significance of the church for Black Americans & you have a powerful force that was effective for Denzel & Tyler Perry (bless Bradley Cooper’s heart–I still don’t understand where he fits into this) to calm a very tense situation.

    • Lizzie Bathory says:

      I should add that I don’t know how Denzel relates to the concept of the devil. My experience–having been raised in a white, Southern semi-evangelical church & also having attended Black church services growing up–is that it’s more literal for some folks & more conceptual for others. I’m no longer Christian, but I don’t think anyone from that tradition would ever consider the influence of “the devil” to erase individual agency.

  15. FF says:

    He didn’t say that. He basically said Smith gave into low temptation when he should have taken the high ground. You can take the words “the devil” out of that and still have the same context of his statement, and Smith still has agency.

    I’m starting to think people are either being wilfully obtuse here and misrepresenting DW’s words, or need therapy for their extant issues with Christianity because those issues are clearly distorting their perceptions and opinions whenever the subject is referenced even tangentially.

    • Maria H says:

      Yeah, one whiff of Jesus and some people just lose their minds

      This is how DW (and a lot of others) relate to the world, and just because it’s alien to some doesn’t make it unintelligible or wrong.

  16. Jaded says:

    Once upon a time, many many years ago, I slapped my then boyfriend (who was problematic AF but that’s another story). My sister had just died a long and horrible death and I was an emotional wreck. We had gotten up early one Saturday morning to paint the living room and had moved all the furniture out to prep. I was hungry but he had no food in the house and insisted we start without having breakfast. I said I needed to eat something first but he was adamant we start painting right away and kept pushing me to pick up a brush. I said I would run down the street, get some eggs, bread and cheese and make omelets and he reached over, patted my head and said…”There, there, we’ll do it your way if it makes you happy” and without even thinking my arm went up and I cracked him across the face. I was as surprised and shocked as he was.

    So the point I’m trying to make is that sometimes we react impulsively, without thought, in the heat of the moment and as a result of some prior issues. I imagine this might be what Will went through — an immediate and uncontrollable knee-jerk reaction which he later regretted and for which he apologized unconditionally.

    • Lizzie Bathory says:

      Oof, @Jaded. That man sounds like…a lot. I had a similar experience ;(though not having lost a loved one so painfully). Anyone who knows me knows I am patient, laid back & easygoing, but if you catch me right, I can surprise myself with my anger. One time, my ex boyfriend said something condescending when we sat down to dinner & I got up & poured a full glass of ice water all over him in a restaurant. I don’t regret it, but I was surprised by myself.

  17. Petra says:

    Preach DW, preach.

  18. Jessica says:

    Y’all crazy if you think Denzel will contribute to a mob cyber lynching of another black male that he’s known and respected for at least 25 years. Fighting words is a thing I just wish it wasn’t at the Oscars on television.

  19. HeyKay says:

    Well, here I come with a snotty comment about Denzel.
    Fair warning, get ready to clutch the pearls.

    The gossip about Denzel, for decades, has been that he is a cheater, repeatedly.
    Also, he has a secret second family, which he keeps hidden from the public.
    Apparently his wife knows all and stays with him. Which is between them.

    However, I truly dislike married folks who commit adultery and then use religion or religion-speak to everyone else.

    That phrase “There but for the grace of G-d, go I” has always struck a nerve with me. It sounds like what they mean is “My G-d likes me better than you. That’s why this is happening to Y-O-U.”

    DW is an excellent actor, I have enjoyed many of his entertainment projects. His performance in Book of Eli was a favorite.

    • Merricat says:

      What’s the point of this comment?
      DW defused a volatile situation and brought Will Smith back down to earth. It’s weird that you thought it was necessary to insult him, especially since his personal life has absolutely nothing to do with what went on that night. Wow.
      There’s something unflattering that we can say about every single person. Don’t throw stones in your little glass house.

      • SunnyW says:

        I wondered the same. The glee with which it was shared is icky. All for it to be pointless too.

        And “There but for the grace of God go I” is a deeply humble way of saying “that could easily be any of us, we just got lucky for reasons beyond our control”

      • Grant says:

        I think it’s interesting to know b/c I have heard those rumors about DW too. Stop getting so triggered b/c someone presents information that doesn’t jive with your preconceived notions of celebrities.

    • Call_me_AL says:

      “There, but for the grace of God, go I” is a commonly used phrase in AA/recovery communities. It is not, in my understanding, used to mean that “<God loved me more, so that bad stuff didn't happen to me" but rather,"This exact consequence or poor behavior could easily have been me, I cannot judge."

  20. Ameerah says:

    He’s right.

  21. Otaku fairy says:

    LOL.

  22. khaveman says:

    The religion of it all is a social discussion. Smith committed a crime, assault, on live TV. The Academy is not pleased and Smith may have really damaged his career. They may ask for that Oscar back, who knows. Also many producers and directors don’t want to hire that kind of anger – can you imagine if Smith hit a woman. Anger issues that need to be dealt with.

    • Lila says:

      No, we cannot because Smith didn’t hit a woman. Also, if they want to ask for that Oscar back, they can start with the many other violent and prolific predators that got to keep theirs.

      “Producers and directors don’t want to hire that kind of anger” Are you kidding me? They absolutely have no issue with anger and we know it.

  23. Donna says:

    I don’t believe his comment was to say “the devil made me do it”, I took it as “ no matter how high you are in life, and may think your untouchable, it can be taken away in a second, everything you worked so hard to get. Denzel wisdom is beyond my comprehension. He is a brilliant actor and such an inspiration, he puts life’s situations into perspective so well. He truly is inspiring. ❤️

  24. Mel says:

    How nice they prayed for Will but I didn’t see them running to Chris to pray for him after being assaulted!