WATCH: Denzel Washington Talks For First Time About Will Smith Oscar Slap, Says ‘The Devil Got Ahold of Him’

After Will Smith smacked Chris Rock over a joke at the Oscars, legendary actor Denzel Washington was seen taking Smith aside and talking to him near the stage. On Saturday, Washington opened up about the incident for the first time.

Washington spoke to Smith, along with fellow legend Tyler Perry, during a commercial break after the massively viral moment, and photos and video (with no audio) of that conversation were shared on social media. But Washington hadn’t talked about it until speaking with megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes at his annual International Leadership Conference, which was held in Charlotte, North Carolina this week.

Various photos and descriptions have been posted online from the Summit, which was live-streamed by The Wrap. Many shared clips on social media, including one from Charmaine Bassett, host of Lady Charmaine Live on Clear Channel in the Facebook video above.

“You stepped in the middle of World War Three,” said Jakes to begin his question about the slap. “We were looking at Ukraine and it happened on the Oscars, when Will, who I love, slapped Chris, who I love. You came in as the senior statesman to that situation.”

“These legends got into a fight in front of the world, what happened? It wasn’t really a fight, it was just one person slapping the taste out of the other one’s mouth,” said the pastor, as Washington smiled and the crowd laughed.

“Well, there’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong,” said Washington. The crowd reacted and he said, “I’m not done now.”

“You know, the devil goes, ‘Oh no leave him alone, he’s my favorite’,” he said. “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 him, okay, of that circumstance that night,” he said of Smith.

“Fortunately there were people, not just me but others,” said Washington. “Tyler Perry came right immediately right over there with me, and — some prayers, you know. I don’t want to say what we talked about.”

He paused at that point before adding, “There but for the Grace of God go any of us. You know, who are we to condemn, you know?”

“I don’t know all the ins and outs of the situation, but I know the only solution was prayer, the way I see it,” he concluded.

Jakes said that the “embarrassing truth of all of that is this: you had a scandalous situation to happen at a momentous occasion. And then two or three icons who are senior statesmen, highly respected in the industry tweet about. I hate to hear people talk and tweet to people they could call on the phone.”

“And here we see actors acting more pastoral than some preachers do, than some church people do. Because we would’ve been so busy talking about it, nobody would’ve actually went to them and prayed with them. Really? And if you do go pray with somebody who’s in scandal, they may start talking about you!”

He then praised Washington for his leadership in the midst of all that happened, and he and the crowd gave a brief standing ovation for Washington, who reacted with characteristic humility.

You can see that part in the full clip from Lady Charmaine Live, or read more from The Wrap here.