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Will Smith has been sued by a touring violinist. He is accused of sexual harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation.
Brian King Joseph filed the lawsuit on December 30 in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles against Smith and Treyball Studios Management.
It accuses Smith of “predatory behavior” and of “specifically grooming and preparing” Joseph in order to further sexually exploit him. All of this in advance of the “Based on a True Story: 2025” tour.
Allegations related to the tour
According to the lawsuit, Smith initially hired Joseph to perform in San Diego in November 2024. The rapper then invited him to join the 2025 tour and appear on his upcoming album. The lawsuit states that Smith once told Joseph, “You and I have a bond as special as I have with anyone else.”
Joseph describes a “traumatic sequence of events” that are said to have occurred in March 2025 in Las Vegas, where Smith was performing. In one incident, Smith management reportedly lost Joseph’s bag, which contained his hotel room key. Joseph claims he later discovered someone had entered his Las Vegas hotel room. Without any signs of forced entry.
Hotel incident and alleged evidence
As evidence of a “threat of sexual violence,” the lawsuit cites a handwritten note that said: “Brian, I’m coming back. Just us.” Featuring a drawn heart and signed “Stone F.”
The musician also found “wet wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with someone else’s name on it, an earring and discharge papers from a hospital that belonged to a person unknown to Joseph” in his room. Joseph states that he “feared that an unknown person would soon return to his room to perform sexual acts.”
Joseph reported the incident to hotel security. Smith’s representatives. As well as the police. Always use the non-emergency number. The lawsuit says that a few days later, a member of Smith’s management team “shamed” him about the incident and told him he was being fired, while suggesting that Joseph had made it all up. Joseph explains that he suffered from “PTSD and other mental illnesses” as a result of the termination.
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“The circumstances surrounding the intrusion into the hotel room all indicate a pattern of predatory behavior and not an isolated incident,” the lawsuit states. It goes on to say that Joseph suffered “severe emotional distress, economic loss, damage to his reputation and other harm” as a result of the alleged incident and termination.
“Mr. Joseph’s allegations against my client are false, baseless and frivolous,” Allen B. Grodsky, an attorney for Smith, told People. “They are categorically denied and we will use every legal means available to resolve these allegations and ensure that the truth comes to light.”
Smith released his most recent album, “Based on a True Story,” in March. He performed at the House of Blues Las Vegas on March 20, 2025 and at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles a few days later. His tour officially kicked off in June in Rabat, Morocco.