Violinist Sues Will Smith, Claims 'Grooming'

Will Smith is facing a lawsuit from a touring violinist who says he was dropped from the star's show after reporting what he believed was a sexual harassment incident at a Las Vegas hotel, reports NBC News. In the complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, musician Brian King Joseph alleges he was fired in retaliation for alerting hotel security, police, and Smith's team to an apparent "hotel intrusion" in March 2024. Joseph says he had been performing with Smith since late 2023 on the rapper-actor's "Based on a True Story" tour and had been told by Smith that the two shared a "special connection."

The lawsuit says accuses Smith of "predatory behavior" and of "deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation," per Variety. In the incident at the center of the complaint, Joseph returned to his Vegas hotel room around 11pm to find signs someone had been there while he was away. Among the items he says he discovered: wipes, a beer bottle, an earring, a red backpack, HIV medication in another person's name, hospital discharge papers for a stranger, and a note reading, "Brian, I'll be back no later 5:30, just us (heart), Stone F." The complaint states Joseph interpreted that to mean that someone (no name is mentioned) planned to return to engage in sexual activity with him.

Hotel security allegedly told him there were no signs of forced entry and that only members of Smith's management had access to the room. After Joseph reported his concerns, a representative for Smith accused him of lying and terminated him, the suit claims, later replacing him with another violinist and telling Joseph the tour was simply "moving in a different direction." A management company tied to Smith is also named as a defendant. The filing does not list a specific dollar figure in damages. Smith's attorney, Allen B. Grodsky, called Joseph's allegations "false, baseless, and reckless," said they are "categorically denied," and vowed to use "all legal means" to contest the claims.