Denzel Washington & Bradley Cooper Comforted Will Smith After Scene With Chris Rock

The Academy Awards have officially gone violent. Chris Rock was slapped by Will Smith over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. He realized his error and apologized after winning best actor. It appears Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper were among the ones who comforted Smith after the scene.

Will Smith was comforted by Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper at the 2022 Oscars after the “King Richard” star smacked Chris Rock for a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. Scott Feinberg, a contributor for The Hollywood Reporter, tweeted a photo of Washington approaching Smith during a commercial break on Sunday night.

During the commercial break, Will Smith is pulled aside and comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who motion for him to brush it off. Will appears to wipe tears from his eyes as he sits back down with Jada, with Denzel comforting Jada and Will’s rep by his side.

Smith revealed during his Best Actor speech that Washington told him, “At your highest moment, be careful — that’s when the devil comes for you.” Cooper was also spotted conversing with Smith during the break. He suggested that Smith needed to be calmed down even more following Washington’s pep talk.

Rock ascended the stage just before the commercial break to present the Academy Award for Best Documentary. The comedian joked about Pinkett Smith before revealing the finalists. Smith laughed off the joke at first, but Pinkett Smith appeared to roll her eyes.

The camera then caught the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum slapping Rock onstage, and as he returned to his seat, he shouted to keep his wife’s name out of his jokes. Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she has lost her hair as a result of her alopecia. Rock appeared taken aback, but he held his cool and presented the award.

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