Will Smith
Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC BY-SA 4.0

Will Smith is starting the new year with a lawsuit filed on the last day of 2025. The complaint comes from Brian King Joseph, a violinist who performed on the actor's recent tour, and targets both Smith and his production company.

He alleges the actor engaged in grooming and sexual harassment and claims he was fired days after reporting the incident to hotel security and tour management. The documents describe a workplace where Joseph claims management ignored his safety concerns and allegedly took advantage of the musician.

Violinist Describes Intrusion and Unsettling Discovery

The civil complaint, lodged in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday, 31 December, outlines an incident during the Based on a True Story 2025 tour. Joseph claims he returned to his Las Vegas hotel room—which had been booked directly by Smith's company, Treyball Studios Management—where he alleged someone entered his hotel room and left items and a note. According to the lawsuit, Joseph reportedly found the room in disarray with items left behind that he claims implied a sexual motive.

Among the objects allegedly discovered were wipes, a beer bottle, hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a stranger, and HIV medication labelled with another person's name. The lawsuit also details a handwritten note left for the musician. According to the filing, the message read: 'Brian, I'll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us [drawn heart].' It was signed 'Stone F.'

Retaliation Claims and Wrongful Termination Suit

Joseph states he immediately reported the security breach and the note, which he described as sexual in nature, to both hotel security and tour management, expecting support or protection. Instead, the lawsuit asserts that Smith's management team accused him of fabricating the event and blamed him for the incident. Rather than investigating the intrusion, Joseph alleges management dismissed his report and retaliated by firing him.

Joseph claims he was let go by Treyball Studios Management just days after reporting the situation. The filing calls this wrongful termination, claiming he was punished simply for raising the alarm about the safety breach and alleged assault on the tour.

Allegations of Grooming and Predatory Behaviour

Lawyers for Joseph argue that the Las Vegas break-in wasn't just a random event. They believe it fits a wider pattern. According to the filing, Smith spent months 'grooming and priming' the violinist 'for further sexual exploitation' after their first meeting in November 2024. The two reportedly 'began spending additional time alone' in the run-up to the tour, establishing a closeness Joseph now views as manipulative.

He cites a specific comment from the actor as evidence: 'You and I have such a special connection, that I don't have with anyone else.' Joseph argues that the 'sequence of events' and the 'circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behaviour rather than an isolated incident.' The specific details of these claims are now a matter of public record in the civil complaint.

The legal action covers multiple grounds, charging the defendants with intimidation, sexual harassment, and retaliation. Joseph is seeking damages to cover both personal suffering and monetary losses. He alleges that he poured significant personal funds into preparing for the tour, which took place between July and early September. Beyond the financial impact, the musician claims the trauma of the firing and the events leading up to it have caused severe physiological harm, stating that he is now battling PTSD.

Writer's pick