Denzel Washington confronted an autograph seeker after being accused of lying about his sobriety.
A video uploaded on Monday (Oct. 27) by New York City-based autograph seeker GTVReality shows a tense exchange with the two-time Oscar winner that appears to have taken place around August 2025.
The confrontation began when Washington, from the inside of a car, asked GTV to “get away” from him.
“It's better when you're drinking, Mr. Washington,” the autograph seeker responded.
"I haven't had a drink in about 15 years,” Washington responded, leading GTV to respond, “That's a good lie.”
He then tried to lighten the exchange by telling the actor, "I saw you in Malcolm X, it's my best movie. I was watching it with my mom's growing up, man."
Washington then shifted the conversation, asking, "Do you believe in God?"
GTV replied, "Of course I believe in God. That's why I wake up every morning and come out and hustle, not hurt nobody and do dumb shit—do n***a shit that n****s do in the hood every day, all day. I just get autographs, Mr. Washington. Seriously."
After Washington's car began to move forward in traffic, GTV approached again, pleading for an autograph and saying, "Takes seconds to help a brother out."
When Washington motioned him over, he held up his phone to show an image of a pair of eyes against clouds and asked, "Who do you think it is?" GTV answered, "It's God."
Washington then said, "Who do you think took that picture?" and went on to describe an experience with prayer: "I was praying to God. I couldn't see your face. Everybody says they can see your face. I heard, ‘Turn to your left.’ That's what I saw.”
"Listen to me," Washington continued. "You can play games with me," to which GTV interrupted with, "But you can't play with Him." Washington ended the exchange with a firm warning: "Be careful when you talk to me about God."
Washington's claim in the clip that he has been sober for about 15 years comes less than a year after he told Esquire in November 2024 that he was celebrating 10 years of sobriety.
In that interview, Washington said he stopped drinking at age 60 after realizing he had been consuming wine daily for over a decade, often finishing two expensive bottles a day.
“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean,” Washington said at the time. “Be 10 years this December. I stopped at 60 and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now — like being 70. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter — if I get another 30, what do I want to do? My mother made it to 97.”