Denzel Washington's Wife Pauletta Speaks Out About His Major Awards Snub

Yahoo

2 days ago

Denzel Washington's Broadway revival of Othello has been a huge success. The critically acclaimed play broke box office records, raking in a staggering $2.8 million in just one week. Fans on social media have also raved about the stellar performances, including Washington's unforgettable portrayal of the titular character. So, naturally, everyone predicted the seasoned actor could score his second Tony Award this year. But in a shocking twist, Washington's name was left off the list when the Tony Award nominations rolled out on May 1.
Since then, fans have taken to social media to voice their frustrations over the major snub. Now, Denzel's wife, Pauletta, is speaking out about the Tonys snubbing her husband and, worse yet, completely shutting out the revival play. Per People, the 74-year-old spoke with a group of reporters last week, and when asked to address the controversial snub, she said, 'Now see, that's not something you want to ask me. I can't say that I was surprised that they didn't.'
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Pauletta continued, 'In my family, we've been through this a lot of times. A lot of times. And I think I can speak honestly and truthfully and artistically that it was denied, you know, so you wonder why. But we don't have to wonder why: It's narrow-minded people that are in charge of making decisions and judgments.' Yikes.
Despite Othello's complete shut-out from the Tonys, Pauletta acknowledged that the audience's overwhelmingly positive response already speaks for itself. She said, 'I've gone to many, many performances, as you can imagine, and everybody leaves it—without knowing anything about Shakespeare—knowing what the story is.'
Denzel has not publicly commented on the Tony Award snub, but the play's co-producer, Kandi Burruss, shared her disappointment in an Instagram post.
She wrote, "Well y'all… Othello didn't get the Tony nomination. Of course, I'm disappointed, but I'm still beyond proud to be part of this phenomenal production. Every time I watch our cast, I'm blown away and inspired. #DenzelWashington @jakegyllenhaal—you both are delivering a masterclass in acting every single night. Truly unforgettable performances."
In 2010, Denzel won his first Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Troy in Fences. He also scored a second nomination in the same category for The Iceman Cometh in 2018, but lost to Andrew Garfield (winning for Angels in America).
Denzel may not have gotten another Tony nomination, but his wife will be the first to tell you that he's still the GOAT.
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