Will Smith, photographed with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the premiere of the movie “Gemini Man” (Gemini: The Conspiracy), PHOTO: Hyperstar / Alamy / Profimedia Images
Will Smith has been sued by a violinist on his musical tour, who accuses the American actor and rapper of sexual harassment and unfair dismissal, reports Variety magazine.
Musician Brian King Joseph names them as defendants in his lawsuit against Smith and Treyball Studios Management, with the violinist's lawyers accusing Smith in the complaint of “predatory behavior” and of “deliberately grooming and conditioning Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation” during his tour Based on a True Story: 2025 Tour. The tournament took place in the spring of this year.
The lawsuit alleges that Smith hired Joseph in November 2024 to perform at a concert in San Diego, and later invited him to join his 2025 tour and participate in his upcoming album.
The violinist alleges that as their relationship grew closer, Smith allegedly told her “you and I have such a special bond that I don't have with anyone else,” among other similar remarks.
What the artist who sued Will Smith claims
Joseph, who previously competed on the show America's Got Talentjoined the first leg of Smith's tour in March 2025, for a concert in Las Vegas, where hotel rooms had been reserved for the band and tour crew members.
Joseph's attorneys note in the complaint that their client's bag — which contained the hotel room key — was missing for several hours before the tournament's management team found and returned it. According to the complaint, members of the management team were “the only people with access to the room [sa]”.
The complaint goes on to say that later on the night of the alleged incident, Joseph returned to find that someone had “unlawfully” entered the room and left several items behind, including wet wipes, a vial of HIV medication with another person's name on it, and a note that read, “Brian, I'll be back no later than 5:30, just the two of us (drawn heart), Stone F.”
The violinist says he interpreted the message as a warning that “an unknown person would shortly be returning to his room to engage in sexual acts” with him.
Joseph claims Smith's team humiliated him after he reported the incident
The violinist says he notified hotel security and Smith's representatives, while also reporting the incident to a police non-emergency hotline. Joseph claims that just days after, a member of the management team “humiliated” him over the incident and told him he was fired, suggesting that Joseph had made up the whole story.
A representative for Smith did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment on the allegations.
The complaint filed in court alleges that Joseph suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and economic loss as a result of the firing. He is suing Smith for sexual harassment, wrongful termination and labor law violations, and is asking for damages to be determined by a jury.
