Denzel Washington Bows Out of Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony After Contracting COVID

"He feels fine," a rep for Denzel Washington tells PEOPLE after the actor had to miss Thursday's Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony at the White House due to a positive COVID-19 test

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Glenn Garner
Glenn Garner
Glenn Garner

Glenn Garner is a form writer-reporter who worked heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. He left PEOPLE in 2023.

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Elizabeth Leonard
Elizabeth Leonard

Elizabeth Leonard is Managing Executive Editor and West Coast Bureau Chief for PEOPLE, where she's worked in leadership positions across the brand's entertainment and human interest verticals for 25 years.

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Published on July 7, 2022 04:39PM EDT

Denzel Washington has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Academy Award winner, 67, was absent at Thursday's Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House, where he was one of 17 people to be honored, after contracting the coronavirus, PEOPLE confirms.

"Denzel tested positive for COVID and so he was unfortunately unable to attend the Medal of Freedom award ceremony," a rep for Washington says. The White House also confirmed his absence due to a positive COVID test.

The rep adds of Washington: "He feels fine."

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Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

President Joe Biden referred to Washington as "a man who couldn't be here today but wanted to be" during Thursday's ceremony, noting that the actor will be honored at a later date.

In addition to his long career as an actor, Washington is also being recognized for serving as the national spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America for more than 25 years.

US President Joe Biden presents gymnast Simone Biles with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a ceremony honoring 17 recipients, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, July 7, 2022.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Washington previously recounted growing up in Mount Vernon, N.Y., where he told PEOPLE he "was lucky" to have the Boys & Girls Club to help "make me the man that I am today."

"Too many of my childhood friends had little structure or guidance. Some had run-ins with the law and ended up in prison," he said in 2018. "That could have been me."

"My father was a Pentecostal preacher who taught me the importance of faith. My mother was a beautician who sacrificed to get me the best education possible. But I also had a local Boys & Girls Club with mentors who cared and gave me the confidence I needed to set higher goals than I might have," Washington added.

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The White House announced Washington as one of the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients last week, along with Simone Biles, Gabrielle Giffords and Megan Rapinoe, as well as posthumous awards for Steve Jobs and John McCain.

The annual award, which is the highest civilian honor in the United States, is given to those "who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors," according to a release.

Washington recently earned an Academy Award nomination for his leading role in The Tragedy of MacBeth, extending his record as the most-nominated Black actor with 10 nods. He's won twice for Training Day and Glory.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments.