Will Smith faced a lawsuit after his tour violinist alleged grooming, sexual harassment and retaliation following his firing during the Based on a True Story tour.
Will Smith was hit with a bombshell lawsuit from his tour violinist, who says the actor groomed him for sex and then fired him when things went wrong.
Brian King Joseph dropped the legal papers on New Year’s Eve, claiming Smith set him up for “sexual exploitation” during his Based on a True Story tour, according to USA Today.
The violinist says someone broke into his Vegas hotel room in March and left a creepy note signed “Stone F.” along with sex wipes, a beer bottle, and HIV medication.
The note said “Brian, I’ll be back no later 5:30, just us” with a heart drawn on it. Joseph told hotel security and tour management, but they called him a liar and blamed him for the whole thing.
Days later, they fired him and quickly hired another violinist. Joseph claims Smith had been grooming him since they met in November 2024. He says Smith told him, “You and I have such a special connection, that I don’t have with anyone else.”
The violinist is suing for sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation. He wants money for the financial investments he made preparing for the tour and says he now has PTSD from the whole ordeal.
It’s the latest legal troubles for the Smith’s. His wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, is facing a $3 million lawsuit from Will’s former best friend, Bilaal Salaam. Salaam claims Jada threatened to kill him at Will’s birthday party in September 2021.
According to Salaam’s lawsuit, Jada rolled up with seven people and told him he’d “end up missing or catch a bullet” if he kept talking about her personal business. She also demanded he sign an NDA “or else.”
Salaam Jada was also furious because he refused to help with damage control after Will slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
The Smith family hasn’t responded to either lawsuit yet. But with two separate legal battles involving sexual misconduct allegations and death threats, 2026 is already looking rough for Hollywood’s former golden couple.
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