logo
YouTube/ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Getty Images
YouTube/ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Getty Images

Denzel Washington Pays Tribute to Late Mother – Her Decision about Troubled Son's Education Helped Him Survive

Laura Beatham
Dec 17, 2021
10:45 A.M.

"The Equalizer" star Denzel Washington recently admitted that he gave his late mother Lennis Washington a hard time, so he is unsure whether he was her favorite child.

Advertisement

In July this year, actor Denzel Washington lost his mother, Lennis Washington, at 97. The "Man On Fire" actor had credited his mother's decision about his education for changing his life.

Recently Washington paid tribute to his late mother while on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." He tearful spoke of the pair's connection and remarked:

"A mother is a son's first true love. A son, especially that first son, is a mother's last true love."

Denzel Washington on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in 2021 [Left] Washington and his mother, Lennis Washington, at the 1990 Academy Awards [Right] | Photo: YouTube/The Late Show With Stephen Colbert & Getty Images

Denzel Washington on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in 2021 [Left] Washington and his mother, Lennis Washington, at the 1990 Academy Awards [Right] | Photo: YouTube/The Late Show With Stephen Colbert & Getty Images

Advertisement

"The Little Things" star stated his mother was there for "everything" and now "she went home." The actor got quite tearful during the segment, although he admitted he did not cry at her funeral.

Washington also touched on the mother and son's bond as he said that he was not sure if he was her favorite because he had given her a hard time growing up.

Advertisement

Lennis welcomed her three children, Lorice, Denzel Jr., and David, with Denzel H. Washington Sr. However, after the couple divorced when Washington was 14, he got into quite a bit of trouble.

He started causing fights at school and caused concern for his counselors and parents. He once said he was "throwing rocks at the penitentiary." Fortunately, unlike some of his friends, Washington never served any time.

Denzel Washington at the premiere of Paramount Pictures' "Flight," 2012, Hollywood, California. | Photo: Getty Images

Denzel Washington at the premiere of Paramount Pictures' "Flight," 2012, Hollywood, California. | Photo: Getty Images

Advertisement

The "Flight" actor credited his mother, who taught him right from wrong and guided him out of mischieve. Washington also credited his mother's decision to send him to Oakland Academy in New York for changing his life.

The "Training Day" actor once admitted that if he did not go to the private school that he boarded at during the semester, he would not have survived the direction his life was going towards.

Denzel Washington attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards, 2017, Hollywood, California. | Photo: Getty Images

Denzel Washington attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards, 2017, Hollywood, California. | Photo: Getty Images

Advertisement

Despite Washington being a handful, Lennis never gave up on him. If he was ever sent home from school, Lennis was behind him, sending him right back.

Lennis work at multiple beauty shops to ensure her children got an education. Washington was awarded a scholarship at school, but in his adulthood, he found out his mother paid for his enrollment out of her pocket.

After schooling, Washington went on to have an incredibly successful career in the entertainment industry, both on-screen and on the stage, and a big part of his career he owes to his mother.

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

Marlo Thomas’ Spouse Was a Virgin before Marriage to Mom of His 5 Kids & a Lousy Lover Afterward

February 03, 2022

Mark Wahlberg Wants to Devote More Time to Parenting in Private & Asks Record $87.5M for His LA Mansion

May 08, 2022

Lynda Carter’s Motherhood Is Her ‘Greatest Adventure’ Yet Her Daughter & Son Followed Their Father’s Path

January 31, 2022

Tom Brady & Pregnant Bridget Moynahan Split - She Wed Husband at Secret Ceremony 9 Years Later

February 20, 2022

Ron Howard Was Most Concerned about His Kids' Values — Inside His Decision to Protect Them

April 26, 2022

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Split Her Time to Care for Young Daughter & Sick Husband — She Only Slept 3 Hours a Day

April 05, 2022

Jenna Bush Hager Proposed to Her Future Husband a Few Months after the ‘Worst First Date’ - He Said ‘No'

March 29, 2022

Michelle Obama Felt ‘Lost & Alone’ as She Could Not Conceive at 35 - She Described Having a Baby as ‘Magical'

March 12, 2022

Jason Momoa & Lisa Bonet Are Trying to Fix Their 17-Year Relationship after Split, Report Says

March 03, 2022

'Law & Order's' Camryn Manheim Turns 61 - Meet Her Son Milo Who Is All Grown-up & Is Also an Actor

March 08, 2022

Inside Leonardo Dicaprio’s Mother’s ‘Fabulously Quirky’ $7.1M Home He Bought for Her

May 04, 2022

Clint Eastwood’s Son Used Mom’s Last Name as Aspiring Actor - Dad Refused to Give Him a Loan for 1st His Car

February 11, 2022

Barack Obama Was Not Worried about His Daughters Dating Their Current Boyfriends

April 29, 2022

Pierce Brosnan Suffered ‘Cruelness’ as a Child after Mom and Dad Left Him: ‘It Was Ugly'

February 26, 2022