Columbus Short has a story of turning lemons into lemonade that has social media users either scratching their heads out of disbelief and confusion or full-out laughing at the seriousness of it all.

For weeks now, the actor has been the subject of bubbling chatter regarding his hilariously wild story about his inspiration to name his son after the incomparable Denzel Washington. It is the type of story that no one would expect, but alas, here it is. Short recently appeared on the “Moguls in the Making” podcast, where he candidly opened up about meeting his idol in the early 2000s and the lasting impression he was left with after their encounter.

He began, “My son’s name is Denzel. Denzel, he kept lil n**gaing me. Like, he kept making me feel like a lil n**ga.” When a host implied that Washington was giving him the real-life treatment of narcotics Officer Jake Hoyt in Training Day, Short agreed. His recollection switches gears when the Stomp The Yard star earnestly states, “He kept doing that to me, so finally I was like, boom, and I’m just truncating the story, but when my son was about to be born, I was like — my wife was like, ‘What are we naming our son?’ I was like, ‘Denzel.’ ‘Cause why? ‘Cause now he’s my lil n**ga.”

The hosts were rendered speechless by the story, but fans had more than a few thoughts to share. “Now why would you put that negativity on your son? You should have just gone to therapy, sir,” wrote one person. Another commenter jokingly said, “He is going to grow up and hear this story and either change his name or start treating him like BIG Denzel did.”

The choreographer-turned-actor rehashed the same story in greater detail in his book, “Short Stories: The Autobiography of Columbus Short.” He claimed that he was auditioning for a role in The Great Debaters, which Washington stars in, when he felt that he was given the runaround by his idol. The entire experience left Short with a chip on his shoulder and feeling disappointed that he would not be able to gain mentorship from the Oscar winner.

Despite it all, he goes on to note that Washington remains his favorite actor, whom he is still open to working with in the future. He also wrote that after all is said and done, his son has to be destined for greatness with a name like that.