Will Smith sued by tour violinist for retaliation, sexual harassment
- - Will Smith sued by tour violinist for retaliation, sexual harassment
Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY January 2, 2026 at 12:55 AM
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Will Smith is being sued by a violinist who accused the actor of firing him for reporting a sexual assault while on his tour.
Brian King Joseph is suing Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, for wrongfully terminating him after a March incident in Las Vegas on the rapper's Based on a True Story 2025 tour. According to a civil complaint filed Wednesday, Dec. 31, in a Los Angeles court, the musician claims 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.
Joseph said the note read: "Brian, I'll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us [drawn heart]," and was signed "Stone F."
Will Smith arrives for Univision's 37th Premio Lo Nuestro at the Kaseya Center in Miami, on Feb. 20, 2025.
Joseph said he reported the situation to hotel security as well as tour management, who accused him of lying and blamed him for the incident. He said he was fired days later.
The violinist's lawsuit further alleges that 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 claims Smith at one point commented: "You and I have such a special connection, that I don't havewith anyone else."
"The sequence of events" and "circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident," Joseph claims.
USA TODAY has reached out to Smith's reps for comment.
This story is developing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Smith lawsuit: Actor sued by tour violinist for harassment
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
