![Uncle Denzel Uncle Denzel](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/square/000/017/965/uncledenzel1.jpg)
Uncle Denzel
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About
Uncle Denzel is a reaction image featuring an uncharacteristic photograph of American actor Denzel Washington taken at the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao boxing match in early May 2015. In the photograph, Washington has a handlebar-style mustache and appears to have an extreme overbite, leading many on the internet to joke that the man in the photograph is an aging, working class uncle.
Origin
On May 2nd, 2015, Washington was photographed at the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao boxing match wearing an Adidas tracksuit, Yankee baseball cap and a handlebar-style mustache. The next day, users began making jokes about the photograph, noting that the man in the picture did not look at Washington. On May 3rd, Twitter user and comedian TheDiLLon1 tweeted "Hi. I’m Denzel Washington and I have DirectTV. and I’m Uncle Denzel and I’ve got cable," accompanied by a comparison photo of a clean-shaven Denzel. The tweet received 5,864 retweets and 3,898 favorites in about a week.
Hi. I’m Denzel Washington and I have DirectTV.
and I’m Uncle Denzel and I’ve got cable. pic.twitter.com/labuc5gA6X
— Ol' QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) May 3, 2015
Spread
After the success of TheDiLLon1's initial tweet, the hashtag #uncledenzel began trending on Twitter, featuring various humorous captions depicting Washington as a working class uncle. On May 4th, 2015, Redditor saynotogymtimidation posted an Uncle Denzel tweet by user @desusnice captioned with a joke about BBQ grilling to /r/blackpeopletwitter,[6] where it received upwards of 1,200 votes (96% upvoted) prior to being archived.
![Perfect BBQ Weather Desus Nice @desusnice Follow "Perfect bbq weather. What you know about that grill right there boy?" 2:07 PM - 3 May 2015 わ 1.400 1.264](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/432/4a5.jpg)
In the coming days, the news sites Complex Magazine,[2] VH1[3] and Vibe Magazines[4] published collections of tweets and Instagram photos featuring the Washington photograph. On November 24th, 2015, the @TastelessGents[7] Twitter feed posted another photograph of Washington from the boxing event with the caption "Having to remind your uncle that it's his niece so he needs to stop staring" along with the hashtag "#ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies" (shown below). That day, a screenshot of the tweet was submitted to /r/blackpeopletwitter.[8]
![Remind your uncle that it's his niece TastelessGentlemen @TastelessGents Having to remind your uncle that it's his niece so he needs to stop staring #ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/439/687.jpg)
Denzel Washington's Response
On September 14th, 2016, journalist @BlogXilla tweeted an clip from an interview he conducted with Washington, in which he asks what he thinks about the internet meme. Washington responded by saying "If I had my wallet, I'd show it t you" and adding "those who can do and those who can’t talk about those who can," suggesting that he had more money and talent than people sharing the meme online (shown below). In less than six hours, the tweet gathered upwards of 1,00 likes and 900 retweets.
For all those who laughed at "Uncle Denzel" Mr. Washington has a message he wants me to give to you. #Mag7 pic.twitter.com/9kOVbQ3kXQ
— The Almighty Xilla (@BlogXilla) September 14, 2016
Various Examples
![Age of Coltrane / Age of Oprah Rod @rodimusprime Follow "You seen the new movie nephew? What's it called? Age of Coltrane? Age of Oprah? Something like that..." 3:18 PM-3 May 2015 48 26](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/434/a2b.jpg)
![So your mama doing good? jujoffer @jujoffer Follow "So your mama doing good? She seein anybody?" RETWEETS LIKES 1,225 712 11:46 PM -2 May 2015 わ 1.2K 712](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/427/f15.jpg)
![Look at that zesty chesty Rusty Redenbacher @rustymk2 y Follow "LOOK at that zesty chesty on THAT onel LAWD, I wanna bury my whole face in there!" That's my niece?" 3:14 PM 3 May 2015](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/433/eee.jpg)
![The Uncle Who Still Stays At Grandma’s House Rusty Redenbacher @rustymk2 Follow Denzel staying in character for his next flick, The Uncle Who Still Stays At Grandma's House', coming this Christmas 2:56 PM - 3 May 2015 わ 45 , 29](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/431/dac.jpg)
![Whatchu know bout that there Distressed Ursula @vinabean な Follow He looks like he says "Whatchu know bout that there " at least 4 times a day. RETWEETS LIKES 447 223 11:36 PM - 2 May 2015 447 223](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/426/80d.jpg)
![Them ribs tender "Them ribs tender like l boiled em, ain't they???...I ain't boil thenm ribs!"](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/170/421/ada.jpg)
Search Interest
External References
[1] Twitter – Search: Uncle Denzel
[2] Complex Magazine – Best Part of the Mayweather-Pacquiao Fight: Twitter's Thoughts on Uncle Denzel
[3] VH1 – Twitter’s Thoughts on Denzel Washington Were More Entertaining Than the Fight Itself
[4] Vibe – #UncleDenzel: The Internet Had Jokes On Denzel Washington’s Outfit At Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao
[5] Instagram – Search: UncleDenzel
[6] Reddit – Uncle Denzel
[7] Twitter – @tastelessgents
[8] Reddit – Uncle Denzel needs to calm down
Top Comments
Mnemonic
May 12, 2015 at 08:32AM EDT
NUTMAN
Sep 14, 2016 at 06:46PM EDT