ALBAWABA - Will Smith faces lawsuit as former tour violinist makes allegations.
A violinist from Will Smith's 2025 tour is suing him and says that the rapper and actor acted "predatory" and was "deliberately grooming and priming" him for "further sexual exploitation." In a suit brought in the Superior Court of California, Brian King Joseph is also suing the performer and his company, Treyball Studios Management, for wrongful termination and retaliation.
Joseph says that after he and Smith performed together in December 2024, he was hired for the tour to promote Smith's new record, Based on a True Story. According to the lawsuit, Smith told Joseph, “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else.”
Joseph says that at a Las Vegas concert in March 2025, his bag and hotel room key went missing and were returned several hours later. Joseph says that he went to his hotel room that night and found that someone had "unlawfully" broken in. He claims that HIV medication and wipes with someone else's name on them were left there, along with a note that said, "Brian, I'll be back no later than 5.30, just us <3, Stone F." Joseph said he came to the conclusion that "someone he didn't know would soon come back to his room to have sex" with him.
The lawsuit says that people who worked for the tour were "the only individuals with access" to his room. Joseph says he called non-emergency police to report the event and told hotel security and Smith's representatives. Joseph says that after the incident, someone from Smith's management team "shamed" him and fired him, suggesting that he made up what happened.
Joseph's lawsuit says that the firing gave him PTSD and caused him to lose money.
In a letter to the Daily Mail, Smith's lawyer Allen B. Grodsky said these claims were false, without evidence, and careless.
"They are clearly denied, and we will use all legal means available to deal with these claims and make sure that the truth comes out." The Guardian got in touch with people who work for Smith.
Based on a True Story was Smith's first record in two decades. It touched on his attack on Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in 2022. The album was a failure; it didn't get any chart placements in any big territories, and the only success it had was a one-week stay at number 79 on the UK Album Downloads Chart (not the main album chart).
In a Pitchfork review that scored 2.4/10, Stephen Kearse said, "Based on a True Story" doesn't have the easy calm of an artist in their comfort zone or the fun energy of one who's free to do whatever in their own space." It's a campaign tool that has no point of view or style and doesn't care about story or even spin. It's always on message: "Please take me back."
