FACT CHECK: Did Denzel Washington Make This Statement About Breaking ‘Generational Curses’?

An image shared on Facebook over 14,000 times claims actor Denzel Washington once stated “Your own family will talk shit about you when you’re in the process of breaking all their generational curses.”

Verdict: False

There is no record of Washington making this comment. His publicist denied that he made the statement.

Fact Check:

Check Your Fact has debunked numerous social media posts that misattribute quotes to celebrities such as Morgan Freeman, Betty White and Bill Murray. The latest target of the trend appears to be Washington.

A viral April 28 Facebook post attributes a quote to him that reads, “Your own family will talk shit about you when you’re in the process of breaking all their generational curses. This ain’t for the weak.”

The quote is misattributed. There are no credible news reports attributing the statement to him. An earlier iteration of the quote appeared on Twitter in March 2019 with no attribution to any celebrity. Washington has no verified social media accounts where he might share such a message.

Alan Nierob, Washington’s publicist, told Check Your Fact in an email that the actor “did not make that statement.” (RELATED: Did Denzel Washington Say He’s Leaving The Democratic Party To Help ‘Team Trump’?)

Washington did not express any negativity toward his late mother during a December 2021 episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” but instead said, “A mother is a son’s first love.”

Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim from September 2021 that suggested he issued a Telegram post accusing “Democrat elites” of blackmailing him for respecting former President Donald Trump.