Will Smith responds to lawsuit: Touring musician reports mysterious hotel room incident in Las Vegas. Lawyer categorically denies all allegations.
Will Smith and his company are facing a sexual harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit from a former touring violinist. The actor and rapper has now commented on the allegations and firmly rejected them.
Violinist Brian King Joseph – a former employee of the artist and his company Treyball Studios Management, Inc. – filed suit with the California Supreme Court in late December 2025. This is about an incident of sexual harassment that is said to have occurred in the plaintiff’s hotel room during Smith’s “Based On A True Story: 2025” tour.
Accusation of “threat of sexual violence” and alleged evidence
The indictment speaks of “threats of sexual violence” that the 57-year-old is said to have made towards Joseph. The musician claims in the lawsuit that he discovered that someone had entered his Las Vegas hotel room in March 2025 without any signs of forced entry.
According to the indictment, evidence that the plaintiff then found in the room included: A handwritten note saying “Brian, I’ll be back… just the two of us,” including a drawn heart and the signature “Stone F.” In addition, “wet wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with someone else’s name on it, an earring and hospital discharge papers that belonged to a person unknown to Joseph” were also said to have been left behind in the room.
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Impact and attorney statement
After the discovery, the violinist assumed that “an unknown person would soon return to his room to perform sexual acts” on him. He then reported the incident to hotel staff, a local non-emergency police line and Smith’s management team and was fired shortly thereafter, the complaint continues. These events caused the plaintiff “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm and other harm,” including “PTSD and other mental illness as a result of the termination,” the filing made clear.
Allen B. Grodsky, the Hollywood star’s attorney, responded to the plaintiff’s allegations with the following statement: “Mr. Joseph’s allegations about my client are false, unfounded and frivolous,” he told People. He further commented on the allegations: “They are categorically denied and we will use all available legal means to address these allegations and ensure that the truth comes to light.”
Smith’s “Based On A True Story” tour took place from June to September 2025, following the release of his album of the same name in March.