Will Smith sued by violinist over alleged sexual harassment and retaliation

2 months ago 19

Hollywood actor Will Smith has been sued by a tour violinist over alleged sexual harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation.

Musician Brian King Joseph filed the complaint at the Superior Court of California on Tuesday (US time). In it, he accused Smith of alleged “predatory behaviour” and of “deliberately grooming and priming [him] for further sexual exploitation”. He claimed the incidents occurred last year while he was working on Smith’s Based on a True Story 2025 tour in support of the rapper’s latest album.

Will Smith has been accused by a professional violinist of allegedly “grooming and priming” him for further sexual exploitation.

The suit also named Treyball Studios Management, the studio behind the tour, as a defendant.

In response to the claims against Smith, his attorney Allen B Grodsky said all allegations concerning his client are “false, baseless and reckless”. “They are categorically denied, and we will use all legal means available to address these claims and to ensure that the truth is brought to light,” he said.

Joseph alleged that about November 2024, Smith invited him to join a coming performance in San Diego, after which he was invited to play on his new album and join the star as part of his global tour. The pair allegedly grew closer over that time, and Joseph alleges that Smith told him, “you and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else”.

Joseph joined the tour in March 2025, beginning in Las Vegas where all band and crew members were put up in a hotel. While there, Joseph – who was a top-three finalist in America’s Got Talent in 2018 – said his bag, which contained his room key, allegedly went missing for two hours before it was found and returned to him by management.

“No other individuals besides the crew and hotel staff would have had access to [Joseph’s] personal room,” the suit stated.

The suit claimed that later that evening Joseph returned to his hotel room to discover a number of items not belonging to him, evidence that allegedly suggested “an unknown person had unlawfully entered the room”.

It is not suggested that Smith was responsible for the bag’s disappearance or that he had entered Joseph’s room.

This included a handwritten note addressed directly to Joseph by name, which read: “Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us [drawn heart], Stone F”. He also discovered wipes, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual’s name, a beer bottle, a red backpack, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a person unknown to Joseph.

“[Joseph] feared that an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts with [him],” the suit claimed.

The violinist allegedly notified hotel security and Smith’s representatives, requested a room change and called a non-emergency police line to report the incident.

Joseph claimed that four days later a member of the management team “blamed” and “shamed” him for the earlier incident, suggesting he had made it up, and terminated him from his role. According to the complaint, another violinist was allegedly hired to assume the same position on the tour.

As a result of these incidents, the complaint alleged Joseph suffered from “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages”, including “PTSD and other mental illness as a result of the termination”, and if the complaint is upheld after being tested in court, he would seek damages. No trial date has been set.