A Los Angeles lawsuit filed just days before the new year has placed Will Smith at the center of serious sexual harassment allegations brought by professional violinist Brian King Joseph.
According to the New York Post, court documents obtained by Fox News Digital show Joseph accusing the Academy Award-winning actor of inappropriate conduct and grooming behavior tied to their professional relationship.
The complaint also names associates connected to Smith’s Treyball Studios Management, Inc.
Joseph alleges Smith was “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation.”
The two first worked together in December 2024, when Joseph performed with Smith during a live appearance.
Following that performance, Smith allegedly invited the violinist to join his “Based on a True Story: 2025 Tour.”
According to the filing, their working relationship deepened after Smith offered Joseph opportunities to perform on several tracks for an upcoming album.
“Smith and Plaintiff began spending additional time alone, with Smith even telling Plaintiff that ‘You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else,’ and other similar expressions indicating his closeness to Plaintiff,” the lawsuit states.
Joseph joined the first leg of the tour in March 2025, starting in Las Vegas. He says Smith’s team arranged and paid for his hotel room. The complaint claims no one else besides crew members and hotel staff should have had access to the room.
The violinist alleges he left his room key in a bag stored inside a transport van used by the tour. After a rehearsal, management reportedly spent hours trying to locate the missing bag.
When Joseph returned to his room later that night, he said he “discovered evidence suggesting that an unknown person had unlawfully entered the room.” He contacted hotel security immediately.
“The evidence included a handwritten note addressed to Plaintiff by name, which read ‘Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F,’” the lawsuit states.
The complaint also lists items Joseph claims were left behind, including wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, HIV medication labeled with another person’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork.
Fearing someone would return to his room for sexual activity, Joseph says he documented the scene, requested a room change, notified Smith’s representatives, and called the local non-emergency police line.
Days later, Joseph alleges Smith’s team shifted blame onto him.
“Rather than being protected against further assault, and for attempting to understanding Plaintiff’s complaint, Plaintiff was shamed by Defendant and told that he was being terminated,” the filing states.
When Joseph asked for clarification, Tim Miller allegedly responded, “I don’t know, you tell me, because everyone is telling me that what happened to you is a lie, nothing happened, and you made the whole thing up.”
Joseph claims he was later replaced by another violinist, which the lawsuit argues shows the termination was unjustified.
“The facts strongly suggest that Defendant Willard Carroll Smith II was deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation,” the complaint states.
Joseph alleges he suffered emotional distress, financial loss, reputational harm, and long-term mental health issues as a result.
The filing follows a separate $3 million lawsuit brought against Jada Pinkett Smith by a former associate, Bilaal Salaam.
