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Will Smith is facing a lawsuit from professional violinist Brian King Joseph, who's accusing him of sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.
According to PEOPLE, Joseph, who worked on Smith's Based on a True Story: 2025 Tour, filed the lawsuit against the actor-musician and his company, Treyball Studios Management, Inc., on Tuesday (December 30) in Los Angeles Superior Court
The suit claims Smith invited Joseph to join his global tour in late 2024 before later engaging in conduct that the professional violinist alleges amounted to grooming for sexual exploitation.
According to the suit, a “traumatic series of events” unfolded in March 2025 during a tour stop in Las Vegas. Joseph alleges he returned to his hotel room and found evidence that someone had entered and left a handwritten note, signed "Stone F," as well as “wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a person unbeknownst to” the violinist.
“Brian, I’ll be back… just us,” the note allegedly read.
Joseph claims he "feared that an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts" with him after discovering evidence “of a sexual threat of violence."
After reporting the incident to hotel staff, local authorities, and Smith’s management team, Joseph alleges he was later shamed by tour personnel and terminated from the tour. The complaint states another violinist was subsequently hired to replace him. Joseph claims the incident and his dismissal caused severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and lasting mental health impacts, including PTSD.
In a statement, Smith’s attorney, Allen B. Grodsky, denied the allegations.
"Mr. Joseph’s allegations concerning my client are false, baseless, and reckless,” Grodsky said.
Joseph, a former America’s Got Talent finalist, joined Smith’s tour following the release of his album in March 2025. The tour ran from June through September.
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