Will Smith sued by violinist for sexual harassment, wrongful termination during 2025 tour
Hollywood actor Will Smith has been sued by a tour violinist who is accusing the actor-rapper of firing him for reporting a sexual assault while on his tour.
Will Smith sued
Brian King Joseph is suing Will Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, for wrongfully terminating him after an incident in March in Las Vegas on the rapper’s Based on a True Story 2025 tour.
Joseph has accused Will Smith of “predatory behavior” and “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation” while on his tour last year.
According to a civil complaint filed on December 31, in a Los Angeles court, the musician claimed that he returned to his hotel room, booked by Smith’s company, to find someone had entered and left a sexual message, wipes, a beer bottle, HIV medication with another person’s name on it and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to another person, reports USA Today.
There was a note which read, “Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F.”
Joseph has claimed that he reported the situation to hotel security as well as tour management, who accused him of lying and blamed him for the incident. He stated that he was fired days later, though management told him the tour was “moving in a different direction.” He claimed that another violinist was quickly hired in his place, which he stressed that he was not fired for “pretextual” reasons.
The suit alleged that Will Smith hired Joseph in November 2024 to perform at a show in San Diego and was subsequently invited to join his 2025 tour and play on his album.
He notified hotel security and Will Smith’s representatives and reported the incident to a non-emergency police line. He claimed that just days later, a member of the management team “shamed” him for the incident and told him he was being terminated.
More about the suit
The violinist’s lawsuit further alleged that Will Smith had been “grooming and priming” him “for further sexual exploitation” since meeting in November 2024, given they “began spending additional time alone” in the months before the tour. Joseph claimed that the actor at one point commented, “You and I have such a special connection, that I don’t have with anyone else.”
In the suit, Joseph is claiming that he suffered from PTSD and economic loss due to the termination. He is suing for retaliation, wrongful termination and sexual harassment, and that damages be determined by a jury. A representative for Will Smith has not responded to the news of the new lawsuit against the actor yet.
