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.”
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, though management told him the tour was “moving in a different direction.” He said another violinist was quickly hired in his place, which he claims is proof he was not fired for “pretextual” reasons.
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 have with anyone else.” He also notes an incident in which he alleges tour management suspiciously lost his bag, which included his room key.
“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.
Joseph is suing for retaliation, wrongful termination, intimidation and sexual harassment, and is seeking compensation for personal and financial damages. The musician’s lawsuit claims he made significant financial investments in preparation for the tour, which ran from July to early September. He also says that as a result of the incident and firing, he now suffers from major physiological damage and PTSD.
This story has been updated to add new information.
