The phrase, “At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you,” is the pivotal piece of advice cinema legend Denzel Washington delivered to Will Smith immediately following the shocking incident at the 94th Academy Awards, where Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage.1
This moment of immediate, in-person mentorship—shared by Smith during his emotional Best Actor acceptance speech for the film King Richard—became a significant turning point, shifting the narrative from celebrity scandal to a path of deep spiritual reflection and public reckoning.2 Washington’s counsel, rooted in spiritual wisdom, offered a profound explanation for Smith’s explosive loss of composure at the moment of his greatest professional triumph.
🎙️ The Moment of the Intervention (Not a Phone Call)
While often summarized as a “phone call,” Denzel Washington’s intervention was an immediate, in-person act of brotherhood.3 During the commercial break, directly after the slap and before Smith won his first-ever Academy Award, Washington and fellow actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry went over to counsel a visibly shaken Smith.4
| Detail | Context |
| The Location | Backstage/near the stage at the 2022 Academy Awards. |
| The Counselors | Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry. |
| The Core Advice | “At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.” |
| The Context | Smith was about to win his Oscar for portraying Richard Williams in King Richard, but had just committed a violent act on live television. Washington’s advice warned Smith about the dangers of hubris and external/internal forces striking when one is most triumphant and vulnerable to overconfidence. |
Washington later elaborated on his perspective, believing that “the devil got ahold of him that night,” and emphasizing that the only true solution was prayer.5 He declined to condemn Smith, stating in a public forum, “When the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong…6 Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something right.”7
🙏 The Cost and the Call for Reflection
Smith’s public sharing of Washington’s advice suggested the comment had a profound and immediate impact, framing the chaos through a lens of spiritual warfare and a failure of character at a critical juncture.8
The incident led to severe professional consequences, including Smith’s resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars and all other Academy events.9 Furthermore, multiple film and television projects were delayed or canceled, including a planned sequel to the Netflix film Bright.10
However, in the face of these consequences, Smith’s self-reflection appears to be driven by a need to live up to the standard of conduct implicitly demanded by Washington’s warning.
- First Post-Slap Film: Smith’s first major film release following the controversy was the Apple TV+ historical drama, Emancipation (2022), directed by Antoine Fuqua.11 While the film, in which Smith plays an enslaved man named Peter, had been acquired for a record sum years before, its release served as an unexpected test of Smith’s star power in a dramatic, non-franchise role amid the public fallout.
- The Path Forward: The ban and the subsequent apologies have been widely viewed as the difficult beginning of a quiet “redemption arc.” Smith has since focused on his return to his successful action franchise, with Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024), demonstrating a cautious, step-by-step return to the public sphere, backed by the enduring foundation of his professional achievements.12
Denzel Washington’s warning ultimately provided the public, and Smith himself, with a moral framework to process an otherwise indefensible act, underscoring that even at the pinnacle of success, personal discipline and grace are paramount.
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