Will Smith finds himself in serious legal trouble once again. This time, a musician who toured with him has filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. The situation is unfolding rapidly and has already drawn sharp denials from Smith’s legal team.
Professional violinist Brian King Joseph filed the complaint on December 30 in Los Angeles Superior Court. He’s naming both Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, Inc., as defendants. Joseph claims that after being invited to join Smith’s Based on a True Story 2025 global tour back in November 2024, the actor engaged in what Joseph describes as “grooming and priming” behavior aimed at sexual exploitation. The details get even more disturbing from there.
According to the lawsuit, a deeply troubling incident happened in March 2025 while the tour stopped in Las Vegas. Joseph says he returned to his hotel room and discovered signs that someone had entered without forced entry. The complaint claims the room contained items Joseph described as evidence of a “sexual threat of violence,” including a handwritten note reading, “Brian, I’ll be back… just us,” accompanied by a heart and signed “Stone F.”
Additional items allegedly left behind included wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, an earring, hospital discharge paperwork, and a bottle of HIV medication bearing another individual’s name. Joseph claims the discovery left him fearing that someone would return to his room to engage in sexual acts against his will.
After reporting the incident to hotel staff, local authorities via a non-emergency line, and Smith’s management team, Joseph alleges he was later “shamed” by tour management and abruptly fired. The lawsuit claims another violinist was quickly hired to replace him on the Based on a True Story tour.
Joseph says the termination caused severe emotional and financial harm, including PTSD, emotional distress, economic loss, and reputational damage.
Will Smith’s legal team has strongly denied the allegations. In a statement to PEOPLE, Smith’s attorney Allen B. Grodsky said:
“Mr. Joseph’s allegations concerning my 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.”
Brian King Joseph, a Washington, D.C. native, gained national recognition as a top-three finalist on America’s Got Talent season 13 in 2018. In December 2024, he posted a video on Instagram celebrating his first night touring with Smith.
The lawsuit comes amid additional legal controversy surrounding the Smith household. Earlier in December, a former associate filed a separate $3 million lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith, which the couple has publicly dismissed as opportunistic.
Smith’s Based on a True Story tour ran from June through September 2025, following the release of his album earlier that year. As of now, the case involving Joseph remains pending.
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