Denzel Washington was unable to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in person after testing positive for COVID-19.
Per Entertainment Weekly, the two-time Academy Award-winner was set to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor from President Joe Biden, but the coronavirus diagnosis forced him to bow out.
The White House announced that Washington was one of seventeen honorees chosen by the president to receive the medal on July 7. Though Washington could not attend the ceremony, President Biden praised him in his absence and expressed a wish to personally present him with the medal sometime in the future.
There’s a man who couldn’t be here today but wanted to be: Denzel Washington, one of our greatest actors in American history. Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Tony Awards, [and] wide acclaim and admiration from audiences and peers around the world. He couldn’t be here with us today, but I’ll be giving him this award at a later date when he’s able to get here.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a civilian’s most prestigious award. It is given in honor of notable efforts to enhance American values, industry, security, and progress. The medal may also be awarded to individuals who contribute to peace efforts at the international level.
The other honorees were Simone Biles, Sister Simone Chappell, Dr. Julieta García, and Gabrielle Gifford. The late Steve Jobs, Richard Trumka, and Senator John McCain received the medal posthumously.
Washington’s historic and boundary-breaking career has seen him rack up ten Academy Award nominations. He paved the way for countless Black actors in Hollywood, including Chadwick Boseman, whose tuition he paid at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford. 2022 also marks Washington’s 25th year as the national spokesperson for the Boy and Girls Clubs of America.
Hopefully, he will make a quick recovery and take President Biden up on his offer to receive the medal in person sometime soon.