Will Smith’s career, spanning over three decades, is now facing one of its toughest legal battles yet. A former tour musician is accusing the actor of harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination, intensifying the public’s scrutiny of his personal and professional life.
This lawsuit emerges at a time when Smith’s public image is still recovering from the infamous 2022 Oscars incident and the mixed reception of his 2025 comeback album, prompting pressing questions about power dynamics on major tours and the vulnerability of artists.
But how did this lawsuit unfold, and what are the deeper implications for Smith’s future in the entertainment industry?
The Tour Fallout
The lawsuit stems from Smith’s 2025 “Based on a True Story” global tour, which played 26 dates across Europe and the U.K., mixing headlining shows and festival slots.
At the same time, Smith was attempting to rebuild his brand through music after years dominated by film roles and controversy, making the tour a high-stakes vehicle for his artistic and reputational reset.
A Rising Star
The plaintiff, Brian King Joseph, is an electric violinist best known as a Season 13 finalist on “America’s Got Talent,” where he finished third and built a national fan base.
A former Berklee College of Music scholarship student who has performed professionally since 2012 despite living with chronic neuropathy.
He was performing with Smith by late 2024, with the collaboration signaling what appeared to be a breakthrough opportunity for the 27-33-year-old musician.
Growing Closeness
According to Joseph’s complaint, the professional relationship deepened when he was invited to record on several tracks for Smith’s album, “Based on a True Story,” released on March 28, 2025.
The filing alleges that Smith began spending more time alone with Joseph and told him, “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else,” comments the lawsuit frames as part of a developing pattern.
Lawsuit Filed
On December 30, 2025, Joseph filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Willard Carroll Smith II (Will Smith) and Treyball Studios Management Inc., represented by attorney Jonathan J. Delshad.
The complaint alleges sexual harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and violations of California civil-rights statutes.
This marks the first publicly reported harassment case naming Smith as a defendant and formally transforming their tour relationship into a high-profile legal battle.
The Las Vegas Incident
Central to Joseph’s account is a March 20, 2025, performance at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where the touring party stayed.
Joseph says his bag, containing his room key, briefly went missing before being retrieved.
Later that night, he alleges, he returned to find signs that someone had entered his hotel room without permission, triggering what he considered a serious safety threat.
A Note And Various Items
In the lawsuit, Joseph says he discovered a handwritten note addressed to him reading, “Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F.”
Nearby, he alleges, were wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication labeled with another person’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork for someone he did not know, which he interpreted as evidence of a looming sexual threat.
Joseph took photographs of the items.
Reporting The Threat
Joseph states that, concerned for his safety and that of colleagues, he reported the alleged unlawful entry and items to Mandalay Bay security, a non-emergency police line, and representatives of Smith and Treyball.
Hotel security reportedly found no signs of forced entry, but Joseph requested a new room and flew home the next day (March 21), expecting to rejoin the tour after raising what he believed was a serious workplace safety issue.
Grooming Allegation
The complaint asserts that “the facts strongly suggest that Defendant Willard Carroll Smith II was deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation.”
It cites Smith’s prior expressions of a “special connection” and the circumstances of the hotel-room incident as evidence of an alleged pattern of predatory behavior, rather than an isolated misunderstanding, framing grooming as a central legal theory.
Firing And Fallout
Several days after reporting the Las Vegas incident, Joseph says he was informed that the tour was “going in a different direction” and that his services were no longer required.
According to the complaint, a Treyball representative stated: “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?”
Another violinist was hired for Smith’s 26-date European tour, and Joseph alleges he suffered PTSD, severe emotional distress, economic loss, and reputational harm as a result.
Legal Claims
Beyond sexual harassment, the suit asserts wrongful termination and retaliation under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and Labor Code, along with alleged violations of the Bane and Ralph Acts, which address interference with civil rights.
Joseph seeks compensatory and punitive damages, plus attorney fees and possible injunctive relief, “in an amount to be determined at trial,” arguing that speaking up about a perceived sexual threat directly led to the loss of his job.
Smith’s Denial
Will Smith has categorically denied the allegations. His attorney, Allen B. Grodsky, told multiple outlets that “Mr. Joseph’s allegations concerning my client are false, baseless and reckless” and that they are “categorically denied.”
Grodsky said Smith will use “all legal means available” to challenge the claims and “to ensure that the truth is brought to light,” signaling an aggressive defense strategy in court.
Company On The Line
Treyball Studios Management Inc., which has long been associated with Smith’s business ventures, is named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit.
Joseph portrays Treyball not only as his formal employer on the tour, but also as an entity that failed to protect him after he reported the hotel-room incident, later terminating him instead of investigating his concerns to his satisfaction, placing corporate practices under judicial scrutiny.
Reputation At Stake
The case unfolds as Smith continues to navigate the fallout from the 2022 Oscars slap and the commercial failure of “Based on a True Story,” his first full-length album in two decades.
The album sold only 268 total copies in the UK during its first week (232 streaming, 36 downloads) and failed to chart on the Billboard 200, marking the worst-selling release of Smith’s career.
Media coverage has noted that the lawsuit could prolong Smith’s legal and public-relations challenges for years, regardless of the outcome, by linking new allegations of misconduct to an already complex public narrative.
What Comes Next?
The lawsuit is in its early stages, and no court has ruled on the truth of Joseph’s allegations or Smith’s denials. The case will test how jurors perceive power dynamics in high-profile cases, what constitutes retaliation after safety reports, and how grooming claims are evaluated.
Joseph’s attorney, Jonathan J. Delshad, has also filed two separate high-profile sexual misconduct cases against Tyler Perry totaling $337 million in damages in 2025.
As discovery and possible testimony unfold, will this dispute reshape expectations for artist conduct and tour safeguards in the music industry?
Sources:
Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan 2026
ABC7 Chicago, 3 Jan 2026
Fox29 Philadelphia, 3 Jan 2026
The Strad, 2 Jan 2026
Berklee College of Music records
America’s Got Talent Season 13 records