Superstar Will Smith is being sued by a violinist who has accused the actor and rapper and his management company of sexual harassment, “predatory behavior,” and wrongful termination.
Violinist Brian King Joseph filed the lawsuit in a Los Angeles court on Dec. 30 and names Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, as defendants.
In the lawsuit, Joseph, 33, accuses Smith, 57, of “predatory behavior” while he was part of the band on Smith’s “Based on a True Story” tour last year.
Joseph, who came third in America’s Got Talent in 2018, said Smith was “grooming and priming” him for “further sexual exploitation” after they first met in November 2024.
The violinist was invited to join Smith when the tour kicked off in Las Vegas in March 2025.
Joseph alleges in the lawsuit that he and Smith “began spending additional time alone” before the tour, claiming the Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It hitmaker told him, “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else.”
On tour, the violinist claims he returned to his Las Vegas hotel room to find someone had “unlawfully” entered the suite, which had been booked by Smith’s company.
Joseph allegedly found a beer bottle, a bottle of HIV medication in someone else’s name, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to another person.
There was also allegedly a note in the room that read, “Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F,” which the musician believed was a message that “an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts” with him.
The violinist says that members of Smith’s management team were the “only individuals with access” to his room and that his bag, which included his room key, was lost for several hours before the team returned it to him.
Joseph said he reported the incident to hotel security and Smith’s tour management, who he said accused him of lying and blamed and “shamed” him for what happened.
He was fired from the tour days after the incident, with the violinist saying management told him Smith’s tour was “moving in a different direction.” However, he pointed out that another violinist replaced him on the tour.
The lawsuit says Joseph suffered from PTSD and economic loss after being fired from the tour and is suing Smith and his management company for retaliation, wrongful termination, and sexual harassment. He has asked for the jury to assess the financial damages he is entitled to.
Smith’s attorney has denied the claims. “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,” Allen B. Grodsky said in a statement to the Daily Beast.
Smith’s “Based on a True Story” tour ran from June to September 2025 in the U.S. and Europe.
