(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A professional violinist has accused actor-turned-podcast host Will Smith of sexual harassment in a Los Angeles lawsuit, according to court documents reported Thursday by Fox News.
The accuser, Brian King Joseph, said Smith “deliberately” groomed and primed him for “further sexual exploitation,” according to the suit. The lawsuit named Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, Inc.
Joseph had performed with Smith in December 2024 and later joined Smith on the “Based on a True Story: 2025 Tour.”
According to the lawsuit, their “relationship grew even closer” after Smith offered Joseph a chance to play on tracks for the actor’s upcoming album.
“Smith and Plaintiff began spending additional time alone, with Smith even telling Plaintiff that ‘You and I have such a special connection, that I don’t have with anyone else,’ and other similar expressions indicating his closeness to Plaintiff,” the document alleged, as quoted by Fox News.
The complaint described a bizarre incident in a hotel room booked during Smith’s tour, though it was not immediately clear whether Smith himself was present.
Joseph said he discovered a note saying the purported intruder would be back by 5:30 p.m. He also found items he did not recognize.
“Among the remaining belongings were wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a person unbeknownst to Plaintiff,’ the document alleged.
Joseph reported the incident to hotel security and demanded a refund, the suit said.
“Rather than being protected against further assault, and for attempting to understanding Plaintiff’s complaint, Plaintiff was shamed by Defendant and told that he was being terminated,” the document added.
According to Fox, a Smith official, Tim Miller, disputed the claims, saying, “‘I don’t know, you tell me, because everyone is telling me that what happened to you is a lie, nothing happened, and you made the whole thing up. So, tell me, why did you lie and make this up?’”
Smith then hired another violinist to replace Joseph, the suit alleged. “This hiring strongly suggested that Defendant’s stated reason for the termination was pretextual,” the complaint said.
“The facts strongly suggest that Defendant Willard Carroll Smith II was deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation. The sequence of events, Smith’s prior statements to Plaintiff, and the circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident,” the suit added.
In remarks to TMZ, Smith’s lawyer Allen B. Grodsky described Joseph’s allegations as “false, baseless, and reckless.”
He added, “They are categorically denied, and we will use all legal means available to address these claims and to ensure that the truth is brought to light.”
