BorjaB.Hojas/Alter Photos/Sipa USA

Denzel Washington chokes up remembering his late mom: 'A mother is a son's first true love'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 12/16/21

Lennis Washington, mother to Denzel Washington, died in June at 97 years old.

Denzel Washington is still processing his grief, and the two-time Oscar winner tearfully opened up about his loss while visiting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday (Dec. 15):

"It's a great blessing to have your mother so long," Colbert noted.

"She didn't get cheated nor did my brother and my sister and I," Washington, 66, acknowledged.

Colbert asked how Washington will honor Lennis and her memory through his work, which earned an incredibly earnest response from the star: "A mother is a son's first true love. A son, especially that first son, is a mother's last true love. I'm getting choked up." Washington apologized to the audience and took a sip from his mug before continuing, "You know when I knew that? When I saw my son, John David Washington, handle my wife. I don't care what he does, she's going [to say], 'Alright, baby. What happened?'"

The acclaimed actor and director added: "She was there for everything, and she went home."

Washington then asked Colbert for a tissue. "This is terrible!" he said, wiping away tears. "Didn't cry at her funeral. I guess I saved it up for you."

Washington's 2021 is wrapping up with his 67th birthday on Dec. 28 as well as the Christmas theatrical releases of The Tragedy of Macbeth, in which he stars, and A Journal for Jordan, which he directed.

More must-reads: