Will Smith was comforted by other celebrities attending the Academy Awards after the actor punched Chris Rock on stage during the ceremony.
Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper were seen speaking to a visibly emotional Smith after the shocking incident.
During the award ceremony for Best Documentary, Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you,” Rock said, in an apparent nod to Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
Pinkett Smith said last year that she shaved her head after battling alopecia.
After Rock’s prank, Smith took the stage and appeared to punch the comedian before returning to his seat.
Smith was then heard to yell, “Keep my wife’s name out of your damn mouth.”
Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter shared a video of Smith He was comforted by Washington and Perry and reported that they had signaled him to “get off me”.
(AFP via Getty)
Photos of Smith hugging Cooper also surfaced during the ceremony, during a non-televised break between awards shows.
In his emotional acceptance speech after winning Best Actor, Smith revealed exactly what Washington told him during the break.