Celebrity

Denzel Washington jokes that he slept with Lenny Kravitz at singer’s Walk of Fame ceremony

“He’s more than a friend, more than a brother," Washington said.

Published on March 12, 2024 08:15PM EDT

Denzel Washington and Lenny Kravitz have been close friends for decades — so close, in fact, that the actor joked that their friendship may have transcended platonic boundaries.

At Kravitz’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, the Malcolm X star honored his longtime friend with a speech revolving around the meaning of “friendship,” literally. “I looked it up, Webster’s,” Washington said. “A person who one knows, and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual relations.” Washington paused and glanced at Kravitz, and cheekily continued, “Well…” jokingly suggesting that their friendship might have crossed a line or two. The audience (and Washington and Kravitz) erupted into laughter.

Denzel Washington speaks at the Lenny Kravitz Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony on March 12, 2024 in Hollywood, California. — Lenny Kravitz and Denzel Washington.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

After the Oscar winner concluded his remarks, Steve Nissen, the president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said, “Denzel, I have to say, I’ve been doing this for a year, and we’ve never had a speaker refer to sexual relations with the honoree. That usually happens after the ceremony, but we won’t go there.”

Elsewhere in his speech, Washington joked about the power of Kravitz’s handshakes. “Every time I shake hands like this with Lenny, I always have my eyes open, ‘cause once he had a ring on, a thumb ring, and he busted my hand open,” he said. “He’s more than a friend, more than a brother. We’re twins, we just don’t look alike. We’ve had a close brothership friendship for… 30 years.”

Lenny Kravitz and actor Denzel Washington pose at the 2002 GQ Men of the Year Awards October 16, 2002 at the Manhattan Center in New York City, New York — Lenny Kravitz and Denzel Washington in 2002.
Lawrence Lucier/Getty

“We have been tied together for a long time, close friends, we are brothers,” Washington said at the end of his speech. “I love Lenny Kravitz like I’ve loved no other brother in my life. Less is more, Leonard Albert Kravitz.”