Hollywood actor Will Smith is facing a lawsuit filed by a professional violinist who toured with him, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination.
According to People magazine, Brian King Joseph filed the complaint on December 30 in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, naming Will Smith, 57, and Treyball Studios Management, Inc. as defendants.
Joseph claims that after joining Smith’s global tour Based on a True Story: 2025 in November 2024, he was subjected to a series of “traumatic events” in March 2025.
During a stay at a Las Vegas hotel, Joseph alleges he discovered evidence that someone had entered his room without force. Items reportedly found included wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another person’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork. He also claims a handwritten note read, “Brian, I’ll be back… just us,” with a heart drawn and signed “Stone F,” which he describes as a sexual threat.
Joseph says he feared that the individual would return to engage in sexual acts. After reporting the incident to hotel staff, the police non-emergency line, and Smith’s management, he alleges a tour management member “shamed” him and informed him that his services were no longer needed. Another violinist was subsequently hired to replace him.
The lawsuit states that Joseph suffered “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages,” including PTSD and other mental health issues stemming from the termination.
Joseph, who was a top-three finalist on America’s Got Talent season 13 in 2018, shared on Instagram in December 2024 that he was performing on stage for the first night of the tour.
People has reached out to a representative for Will Smith for comment.
The lawsuit follows another recent legal matter involving Smith’s family: on December 1, former associate Bilaal Salaam, also known as Brother Bilaal, filed a US$3 million (RM12 million) lawsuit against Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, alleging verbal threats.
