There’s no one happier about the Eagles than Bradley Cooper. The Philadelphia native and Eagles superfan was down in New Orleans with his seven-year-
There’s no one happier about the Eagles than Bradley Cooper. The Philadelphia native and Eagles superfan was down in New Orleans with his seven-year-old daughter, Lea, this weekend, where they got to celebrate his beloved birds triumphing over the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX.
Cooper was more than just a spectator at this year’s Super Bowl. Before the game began, the 12-time Oscar nominee stepped out onto the field and introduced the NFC champion Eagles while holding Declan LeBaron, an eight-year-old Eagles fan suffering from systemic juvenile arthritis who went viral last month. After meeting LeBaron at an Eagles game on January 26, Cooper surprised LeBaron with tickets to the huge game in a segment on the Today show. Both decked out in Eagles green and led the crowd in a rousing chant: “E-A-G-L-E-S—Eagles!” before the team took the field. (Missouri native Jon Hamm introduced the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, to boos from the audience.)
The Maestro star’s deep love of the Eagles comes honestly. He was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, and raised in the suburbs of Philly, attending Germantown Academy and working at the Philadelphia Daily News while in high school. He received his first Oscar nomination for playing Patrizio “Pat” Solitano Jr. in Silver Linings Playbook, an Eagles fan from a long lineage of bird lovers, opposite Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, and Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence. More recently, Cooper was gently roasted on the Philadelphia-based sitcom Abbott Elementary, where he played himself and shared the best spot in the city to get hoagies.
Cooper wasn’t the only celebrity jazzed about the Eagles’ win. Anne Hathaway was also present at the game, wearing a green Guest In Residence sweater over her shoulders, cheering on the birds. (For those questioning her Philly bonafides, her maternal grandfather was Philadelphia radio personality Joe McCauley, who earned the nickname “the Morning Mayor.”) Quinta Brunson also attended the game alongside her Abbot Elementary costar Tyler James Williams, and snapped a selfie with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson, all wearing Eagles green.
But it’s unthreatening to say that Cooper is the celebrity who may have been the most invested in an Eagles victory. Cooper was also in attendance when the Eagles lost the Super Bowl two years ago to the Chiefs. In a 2023 interview with Howard Stern, he said that he’d rather the Eagles win the Super Bowl than personally take home an Oscar for best actor or best director for Maestro (or see his costar Carey Mulligan win for best actress). “Eagles Super Bowl victory,” Cooper replied, immediately. “I know. I’m sick.”
It took two years, but his dream came true. “I’m just one of thousands and thousands that get the opportunity to love this team and live for this team—be a part of Philadelphia,” Cooper said in an interview on the field shortly after the Eagles won. “I used to come with my dad, and now I get to bring my daughter. It’s just a beautiful thing in life.” Fly Cooper fly.
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