Will Smith is being sued by a violinist, who alleged he was fired for reporting sexual harassment.
Brian King Joseph has taken legal action against the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star and his company, Treyball Studios Management, Inc.
Brian alleged that he was subjected to a “traumatic series of events” in March 2025 while working on Will Smith’s Based on a True Story global tour, before being dropped after raising an issue.
In a lawsuit filed in California Superior Court earlier this week and obtained by Entertainment Weekly, the former America’s Got Talent finalist alleged he was left a disturbing message in his Las Vegas hotel room after someone gained access without permission.
He alleged the unknown person left evidence of a “sexual threat of violence,” including “wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork” belonging to someone else.
A note, signed with a heart and the name Stone F. left with the items read: “Brian, I’ll be back… just us.”
Before the alleged incident, the lawsuit claimed Will had been “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation”.
The King Richard star allegedly told the violinist during one meeting: “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else.”
The complaint went on to detail how Will’s management lost Brian’s bag, which included his hotel room key.
The lawsuit alleged: “The circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behaviour rather than an isolated incident.”
After he discovered someone had been in his room, the musician reported the incident to hotel staff, a local non-emergency police line, and Will’s management, but he alleged one of the team “shamed” him and told him he would be fired.
The complaint argued Brian’s dismissal was retaliatory and the quick hiring of another violinist was an attempt to cover up his removal from the tour.
Brian claimed he suffered “PTSD and other mental illness” following the alleged incident and subsequent events, as well as seeking compensation for “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages”.
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