–25 votes
in General Factchecking by Genius (41.4k points)
Denzel Washington has terminal cancer.
by Novice (760 points)
+1
According to multiple trusted sources, Denzel Washington has not reported to have been diagnosed with terminal cancer. This claim is false. I first read the article attached, and found nothing conveying that he is sick - only speculation and rumors. After doing my own research, I have found no sign that this claim is true. Each article written debunks this rumor, and provides updates on the incredibly talented actor.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/denzel-washington-illness/
https://ground.news/article/no-denzel-washington-was-not-diagnosed-with-terminal-cancer
by (160 points)
I agree with your fact check and think you did a great job in explaining and adding your sources as evidence.

28 Answers

+1 vote
by Novice (720 points)
This claim is false. Clicking the link it brings me to an article written by Alica Martin. After doing some research on her it seems that her job is to seek out celebrity news. In the article it briefly mentions that Denzel was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2019 and the rest of the article talks about his career. The claim didn't necessarily support the content in the article. Any claims that say he was diagnosed have not been backed up with evidence, and as of 2024 Washington is healthy and has a new movie coming out this year. This was simply a rumor that spread too far.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/denzel-washington-illness/
+1 vote
by Apprentice (1.6k points)
The article included in the original claim does not include any evidence towards Denzel Washington being sick, just speculation. There is still no conclusive evidence to support the original claim. I found another article explaining the same 2019 diagnosis, yet still no concrete evidence. Due to the lack of evidence provided and the fact that Denzel Washington is still working on movies, I believe the original claim to be false.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/denzel-washington-illness/

https://ground.news/article/is-denzel-washington-still-alive-dispelling-cancer-myths-and-celebrating-his-journey

https://peepswiz.com/hollywood/what-happened-to-denzel-washington/#google_vignette
False
+1 vote
by Novice (830 points)

I find this claim to be false— There are a multitude of reasons as to why. This rumor began to circulate in 2019 per the ERLDC, and has been debunked considering Washington's role in multiple movies such as The Equalizer 3 and The Fallen (2023.) Furthermore, there is a Snopes fact check revealing that the sources claiming his illness broadly touch on his career and avoid the claim all in itself. It seems that the claim was used as a way to clickbait audiences into watching videos or reading articles. If the article did have the terminal cancer, it's likely there would be a public statement from Washington himself, although we can't fully know unless he tells us himself. For the time being, this claim is false.  

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/denzel-washington-illness/

https://erldc.org/digital/is-denzel-washington-sick/

Exaggerated/ Misleading
+1 vote
by Novice (730 points)

The claims that Denzel Washington is fighting a deadly form of cancer are unfounded and misleading. Despite claims made in the article, there is no reliable proof or official confirmation of Denzel Washington's condition. According to the most recent information available, Denzel Washington is still very much involved in his professional activities, which include acting, directing, and philanthropy. He does not appear to be receiving treatment for cancer or to be experiencing any serious health issues. It's important to use caution and confirm information from trustworthy sources, particularly when discussing well-known individuals' health status. The article emphasizes the value of depending on reliable sources and official pronouncements rather than unverified reports by stressing the absence of verifiable evidence to support its claims. Because false information about the health of prominent figures can spread quickly, it's important to distinguish fact from conjecture in the digital era.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/denzel-washington-illness/

False
+1 vote
by Novice (520 points)

This appears to be a verifiably false claim as no sources indicate Denzel Washington to be diagnosed with terminal cancer. It appears that this story is from 2019 and not only has Mr Washington acted in numerous roles since then, with no comment regarding this from him or his family. Snopes also has this listed as “false” so there does not appear to be anything that would indicate there to be even a slight amount of truth to this story

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/denzel-washington-illness/

False
+1 vote
by (160 points)

After doing my own research, I didn’t find any trustworthy sources that have reported Washington as having terminal cancer. The article attached provided only speculations, but no actual evidence or reports of him having this. 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/denzel-washington-illness/

https://erldc.org/digital/is-denzel-washington-sick/

by Genius (41.4k points)
It's best to elaborate a bit further when providing a fact-check. You can cite your sources within the text and provide a quote, for instance. Thanks!
+1 vote
by Champion (14.6k points)

This claim is false. This fact checking website helped me with this claim. An article and YouTube video have been released making this claim, but there are no additional sources claiming that this statement is true. Washington, family, or any representatives have not responded to these claims. He was just featured in a movie in September 2023 and has his next movie set to be released in November 2024.

False
+1 vote
by Apprentice (1.3k points)
This article is inaccurate. No creditable source is noted, as there is no creditable source stating that he is. The article goes through Washington's career and Washington is still active in Hollywood as his last film was in 2023 and his upcoming film is in late 2024. This narrative seems to have originated from rumors that emerged around December 2019. While there have been scattered articles and YouTube videos discussing the theory over the past few years, it appears that the foundation of this story dates back to that time. Despite its age, the speculation has persisted. Multiple fact-checking websites, including Snopes, have examined the claims associated with this story.
False
by Genius (41.4k points)
Do you have any sources?

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