Will Smith is being sued by skilled violinist Brian King Joseph, who’s accusing the actor and his firm of sexual harassment and wrongful temination.
Within the lawsuit, which was filed in a Los Angeles court docket on Tuesday, December 30 and obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, January 1, the grievance names Smith and Treyball Studios Administration as defendants.
The authorized paperwork accuse Smith, 57, of “predatory conduct” and “intentionally grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for additional sexual exploitation” throughout Smith’s Based mostly on a True Story: 2025 tour.
In keeping with the civil grievance, the America’s Acquired Expertise alum was invited in November 2024 to affix the rapper on the tour, which kicked off its first leg in Las Vegas in March 2025.
Joseph claims he returned to his Las Vegas resort room, which was booked by Smith’s firm, to search out some had “unlawfully” entered the room. Within the room, he allegedly found wipes, a beer bottle, a bottle of HIV treatment with one other particular person’s title, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a different particular person.
There was additionally allegedly a be aware within the room that learn, “Brian, I’ll be again no later [sic] 5:30, simply us (drawn coronary heart), Stone F,” which the musician claims he interpreted as a message that “an unknown particular person would quickly return to his room to interact in sexual acts” with him.
Joseph additionally claims that members of administration had been the “solely people with entry to [his] room.” He stated tour administration had misplaced his bag, which had his room key, throughout the journey to Vegas.
Will Smith (Photograph by David Livingston/Getty Pictures)
Following the incident, Joseph stated he reported the state of affairs to resort safety in addition to tour administration. Joseph claims that administration accused him of mendacity, “shamed” him and blamed him for the incident.
The violinist’s employment was terminated days after the incident, with Joseph alleging that he was advised by administration that they had been “shifting in a distinct path.” He alleged that he was shortly changed by one other violinist in the identical place, disputing this declare.
The go well with additionally claims that as a result of being fired, Joseph suffered from PTSD and financial loss. He’s suing for retaliation, wrongful termination and sexual harassment, and asking that damages be decided by a jury.
Per the authorized paperwork, Joseph additional alleges that Smith was “grooming and priming” him “for additional sexual exploitation” since their first assembly in November 2024. He claims they “started spending further time alone” after assembly and previous to the tour kicking off. Joseph alleges that Smith at one level commented, “You and I’ve such a particular connection, that I don’t have with anybody else.”
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for Smith and Joseph for remark.
Will Smith is distancing himself from Sean “Diddy” Combs. “The world we’re in proper now’s actually exhausting for y’all to discern what’s actual and what’s true,” Smith, 56, stated throughout a Thursday, December 12, present in San Diego, per footage obtained by TMZ. “I haven’t addressed any of this publicly, however I simply needed […]
Based mostly on a True Story marked Smith’s first album in additional than 20 years and featured beforehand launched singles together with “You Can Make It,” “Work of Artwork” and “Tantrum.”
The album additionally contained new tracks resembling “Lovely Scars,” which Smith opened up about throughout a radio interview in January 2025.
“The thought of ‘Lovely Scars’ is simply one of many issues that basically popped via for me as such a price to acknowledge {that a} problem, an adversity, a problem, an impediment is tough and painful within the second however what you’re going via can turn into the best factor that has ever occurred,” Smith advised radio host Enrique Santos throughout an iHeartRadio Dwell occasion on January 29, 2025. “What begins out as an adversity can flip into a good looking stepping stone.”
