Denzel Washington Says ‘Who Cares’ About Cancel Culture: ‘You Can’t Be Canceled If You Haven’t Signed Up’

https://people.com/denzel-washington-says-who-cares-about-cancel-culture-11792193

26 comments

  1. There’s literally no such thing as cancel culture smh

  2. How many years are we going to talk about this make believe cancel culture racket?

  4. well.. they will sign u up for it whether u like it or not

  5. Conservatives are the originators of cancel culture they cancelled different races, sexualities, art, movies and literature. We’ve evolved past their superstitions and now they’re complaining we don’t tolerate their hate.

  6. If you stay canceled you don’t have to get canceled

  7. Denzel’s old man logic is fascinating to me.

    These are the things you can say when you’ve achieved your goals.

  9. Cancel culture is just people voting with their dollar. It’s just the “free market of ideas”

  10. People who like to use emotional pressure to control people

  11. No one has been cancelled by cancel culture it’s literally online freaks crying about shit all day who fucking cares indeed

  12. Bizarre that Denzel doesnt seem to get that if the public opinnion turns bad you will almost surely not get big roles anymore, at least not until the public view calms down over time.

  13. Cancel culture only exists in the minds of conservative republicans and Hollywood morons.

  16. I mean, should you have your career ruined because you made a lewd joke one time? No probably not. Should you have your career ruined because you corner women in your hotel room and force them to watch you jack off? Yeah, maybe.

  17. Crazy how just a year ago, this comment section would’ve skewered him for saying something like that.

  18. Bullshit. You cannot be too big for that kind of thing even though I hate the phrase “cancel culture” as that doesn’t exist and it’s a stupid phrase too. Especially as the way his son looks at him. And considering how Denzel is propped, whatever it may have been, doesn’t look good. If I didn’t catch how John David moves regarding his parents, I would have shrugged this off.

  19. I think people overstate the effect of cancel culture regardless, even if someone does get “canceled” it’s usually only briefly, the internet forgets even faster than it remembers you saying the n word or calling someone gay or sleeping with a minor.

    Did you know both Cody Ko and Miranda songs are back to making content? Cody specifically is back to weekly video uploads. Both accused of being inappropriate with minors. Dave Chappell has ignored any attempts to cancel him and he’s doing just fine for himself still, I live like 20 minutes from him in Ohio and he’s always walking around his town of yellow springs, holding the occasional show and going to bars and restaurants.

  20. Honestly, I don’t think a well-liked, highly respected, well-spoken, wholesome individual such as him should have an opinion on cancel culture. He would never be in such scandals. Therefore, it’s not something he will ever have to experience. I’d prefer to hear the opinions of somebody like Jesselnik or Louis CK.

  24. You don’t sign up to cancel culture, you become a victim of targeted harassment.

    Cancel Culture grew out of the Sixties South using water cannons and dogs.

  25. Who cares about Denzel in 2025. He hasn’t made a good movie in 20 years. He makes straight to streaming old man action movies now, that nobody watches or talks about.

    Doesn’t care about the Oscar’s? Well yea, if you’re making the equalizer 6, I’d imagine not.

    Thanks for the opinion Denzel, we didn’t ask! ✌🏼

  26. TLDR:

    * When Denzel Washington was asked if he considers being “canceled,” in an interview with [Complex News](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/treyalston/denzel-washington-does-not-care-canceled), Washington clarified, “What does that mean — to be canceled?” After being told by interviewer Jillian Hardeman- Webb, “it means you lose public support,” Washington replied, “Who cares?”
    * “What made public support so important to begin with?,” he added, while promoting his latest film, [*Highest 2 Lowest*](https://people.com/denzel-washington-wife-pauletta-highest-2-lowest-premiere-11789382)*,* alongside frequent collaborator and director Spike Lee. In response, Hardeman-Webb replied that “followers now are currency” — however, Washington still wasn’t moved.
    * “I don’t care who’s following who,” he said. “You can’t lead and follow at the same time, and you can’t follow and lead at the same time. I don’t follow anybody. I follow the heavenly spirit. I follow God, I don’t follow man. I have faith in God. I have hope in man, but look around, it ain’t working out so well.” Washington reiterated that he doesn’t care about being “followed,” adding, “You can’t be canceled if you haven’t signed up. Don’t sign up.”

Comments are closed.