(AP Photo/Matthias Delacroix)
will smith is being sued by a former touring musician who accuses the actor and rapper of “intentionally grooming” him and then allegedly retaliating against him after he reported what the lawsuit calls a “hotel invasion” while on tour in Las Vegas.
A complaint filed earlier this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, obtained by Fox News Digital, accuses Smith and a management company associated with him of firing the violinist Brian King Joseph It came days after Joseph reported the incident to hotel security, police and Smith’s representatives.
The lawsuit doesn’t specify damages, but it puts Smith at the center of a troubling case.
Joseph said he began performing with Smith in December 2024 and later participated in the tour for Smith’s latest album, Based on a true story. The two spent time alone working together, during which time Smith allegedly told Joseph they had a “special connection” unlike anyone else, according to the complaint.
The document accuses Smith of “knowingly enticing Mr. Joseph to engage in further sexual exploitation.”
The lawsuit focuses on incidents that allegedly occurred on or about March 20 in Las Vegas. Joseph claimed that when he returned to his hotel room around 11pm, it appeared that someone had entered the room while he was out.
Hotel security reportedly saw no signs of forced entry and told Joseph that only members of Smith’s management team could enter the room.
Inside, Joseph claims he found wipes, a beer bottle, an earring, a red backpack, HIV medication with another person’s name on it, discharge papers belonging to someone he didn’t know, and a note that read, “Brian, I’ll be back soon.” [sic] 5:30, just us [drawn heart]Stone F. “
“Plaintiff feared that an unknown person would soon return to his room to engage in sexual conduct with Plaintiff,” the complaint states.
After reporting the incident, Joseph claimed he was blamed and fired. The lawsuit quotes Smith’s representative as saying: “Everyone told me that what happened to you was a lie, that nothing happened, that you made the whole thing up. So, tell me, why did you lie and make all of this up?”
Despite being told the tour was “going in a different direction,” Joseph was replaced by another violinist, the lawsuit states.
Representatives for Smith have not yet responded to Fox Digital’s request for comment.
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