Will Smith sued for sexual harassment, retaliation by violinist who toured with him last year
Actor and rapper Will Smith is being sued for sexual harassment and retaliation after a musician who toured with him last year reported a case of sexual misconduct.
According to Variety, the suit, which was filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles, says violinist Brian King Joseph was part of Smith’s entourage and faced “predatory behaviour” from the rapper, who is further accused of “deliberately grooming and priming Mr Joseph for further sexual exploitation“.
As per the suit, Joseph was hired by Smith in November 2024 to perform at a show and later invited to join him on his upcoming tour. During his employment, the complainant alleges Smith told him, “you and I have such a special connection, that I don’t have with anyone else,” among other, similar expressions.
The violinist was part of the team performing on Smith‘s Based on a True Story Tour’s Las Vegas leg in March. He said his bag — which had the key to his hotel room — went missing. The suit claims the bag was later found by hotel management and returned, but in the meantime someone had entered his hotel room “unlawfully”.
Returning to his room, Joseph found wipes, a bottle of HIV medication carrying someone else’s name, a beer bottle, an earring and a note that read, “Brian, I’ll be back no later [than] 5:30, just us.” The note had a heart drawn on it and was signed “Stone F”.
According to hotel security, there were no signs of forced entry and only people who were part of Smith’s management team had access to the room while he was gone, the suit says.
Joseph, understanding this to mean “an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts”, reported the incident to hotel management, Smith’s representatives and local police.
According to NBC News, he was allegedly fired a few days later, with a representative of Smith telling him, in part, “Everyone is telling me that what happened to you is a lie, nothing happened, and you made the whole thing up. So, tell me, why did you lie and make this up?”
Claiming the actions of Smith and his team made him suffer from post-traumatic stress and economic losses, Joseph has sued both the actor and his company, Treyball Studios Management, for sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination.
Cover photo: AFP
