'Stop': Denzel Washington Appears To Check Photographer At Cannes Festival

Denzel Washington appeared to check a photographer who grabbed him on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet.

On Monday (May 19), Washington appeared at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of director Spike Lee's film Highest 2 Lowest, in which he stars with A$AP Rocky.

Video from the red carpet shows Washington was speaking with Lee when a photographer grabbed the actor's arm to get his attention. A$AP was also approaching the group as Washington got into a tense exchange with the pushy photographer.

“Stop it!” Washington said, pointing his finger at the photographer who grabbed his arm, per the video.

“Don’t touch me," the actor appeared to add, before repeatedly yelling “stop."

As Washington attempted to walk away, the photographer appeared to grab his arm again, fueling the heated exchange.

Social media users came to Washington's defense as video of the incident circulated online.

"We don’t play about that one, y'all better chill on unc," one Instagram user wrote.

"They need to leave Denzel alone… he’s not the one! He’s unproblematic yes but he’s not taking crap from anyone," another person said.

Others pointed to last year's Cannes Festival, where Kelly Rowland appeared to get into a heated exchange with an "aggressive" usher.

"Last year it was Kelly Rowland, this year it’s Denzel. Do the ancestors need to pull up at Cannes or what???" a third social media user commented.

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