Denzel Washington’s usually composed demeanor cracked under fan pressure in New York City on Wednesday. The 69-year-old Oscar winner was caught in a rare moment of frustration, as he arrived at the Museum of Modern Art to honor Samuel L. Jackson at a film benefit.
A video shows the Training Day star briefly posing with a fan, but snapping when autograph hunters clamored for his attention, as reported by Daily Mail.
A visibly irritated Washington paused before addressing a fan in the crowd. Though not all of his words were clear, Washington was seen pointing a finger and heard saying, “I heard you. You talk about showing love…”
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“…Respecting me” to which the fan said “we already do.”
Washington retorted: “I said I’ll see you when I get out, which part of that don’t y’all understand?
“It’s about showing love” – before raising his voice and declaring “or not, or not! We can do it another way… or not, we can do it both ways!”
Following the tense encounter with fans, Washington entered the building without further incident.
This comes shortly after a recent claim that Washington had a heated argument with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after a 2003 party.
A source claimed to Us Weekly that “Denzel screamed, ‘You don’t respect anyone”’ at the hip hop mogul, who is currently awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“[Denzel and his wife, Pauletta Washington] had been partying until dawn [with Diddy], and they had seen something and stormed out,” the source told the outlet.
In the early 2000s, Washington and Combs were frequently seen together at high-profile events, including the 2001 Essence Awards and Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
Although it’s unclear what sparked their alleged 2003 argument, there’s no indication it connects to Diddy’s current criminal charges.
Representatives for both have yet to respond to requests for comment.
Twenty years after his alleged clash with Washington, Combs is now in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, facing serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
