Bradley Cooper comforted a distressed Will Smith, moments after the actor hit Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday night.
Will, 53, slapped the comedian, 57, after he joked to Will's wife "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2" in reference to the talk show host's shaven head.
And pictures show Bradley, 47, trying to calm down the King Richard star after the tense exchange saw Will yell: "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth".
Bradley and Will appeared deep in conversation with the actor placing his hand on Will's heart before pulling him in for a hug.
Will looked tearful as he buried his face into Bradley's shoulder. The pair have a close friendship with Will joking earlier this month at the National Board of Review awards gala as the actor sat across the table: "I can't even concentrate, he's so beautiful".
And Bradley wasn't the only Hollywood star to rush to Will's aid to console him, with Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry offering the Best Actor winner some words of wisdom.
Scott Feinberg who was attending the event shared a short video clip with his followers on Twitter and penned: "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."
Chris was presenting Best Documentary Feature when he made a joke about Jada looking like GI Jane. Actress Demi Moore famously shaved her locks into a buzzcut to play the role in the 90s.
Will's wife Jada has previously spoken out about her decision to shave her head after suffering from alopecia, and has been open about the condition.
Fifteen minutes after the shocking scenes, Will went on to deliver an emotional acceptance speech for his role at Serena and Venus William's father, King Richard.
Will said: "I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees.
"This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me, it's about being able to shine a light on all of the people."
He also added: "Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams."
The Academy later released a statement saying it didn't condone violence. It read: "The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the organisation tweeted after the show ended on Sunday night.
"Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world."
