Will Smith is every inch the proud dad as kids Willow and Jaden perform at Coachella

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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Will Smith has proven that he's every inch the proud dad as he watched his kids perform at Coachella last week.

The 54-year-old has had a rough few months, especially following the ongoing drama surrounding his Oscars slap in 2022 - with comedian Chris Rock mocking the incident in his latest Netflix comedy special Selective Outrage. Rock had made his comic comeback a year after he was involved in an awkward and widely-mocked moment at last year's Oscars, when Smith stormed onto the stage as Rock was presenting and slapped him across the face.

At that time, Rock had made a joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and likened her baldness (a result of alopecia) to G. I. Jane - a 1997 movie starring Demi Moore as a female lieutenant who enters the Navy SEALS. Moore had shaven her head for that role.

"Keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth," Smith screamed from his table after the slap. His violent outburst earned him a decade-long ban from the Oscars as well as a lifetime of becoming the butt of jokes - including Rock's comedy special.

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Will Smith defended his wife Jada after Chris Rock mocked her bald look at the 2022. Oscars. Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy

The doting dad brushed all that aside, however, to make an appearance at the California music festival Coachella - where his two youngest kids Jaden, 24, and Willow, 22, were performing, TMZ reported.

Taking to Instagram, Smith posted a short clip of himself jamming in the moshpit while watching Willow's solo set in the Mojave Tent. He simply captioned the upload: "WILLOWCHELLA!!" He was grinning from ear to ear as his son Jaden joined Willow onstage.

Check out the proud father moment:

It was a sweet moment for the Smith duo, who hugged onstage before performing together - Jaden even sported a "Willow's brother" shirt underneath his leather jacket.

Users took to the comments section to gush over the proud dad, with one person writing: "That's genuine pride and selfless adoration right there! Not Will being famous, just a proud dad beaming over his child!"

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Credit: Instagram.com

Someone else added: "Must be such a cool thing to be able to watch your own daughter on stage but even more so, at Coachella!"

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Credit: Instagram.com

Another user chimed in with: "In full concert Dad mode! [...] I love that the audience was so enthralled with her they didn't realize who was standing there with them!"

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Credit: Instagram.com

As for Smith, the outing marked one of the very few public events he's been seen at since the viral Oscars slap - clearly he managed to keep his hands to himself this time!

Featured image credit: Alan D West / Alamy