Will Smith is being sued by America’s Got Talent finalist Brian King Joseph after he accompanied the Oscar-winning actor and singer on his Based on a True Story world tour in 2025. The violinist was part of Smith’s show, in which he performed some of his most well-known songs.
Based on a True Story is Smith’s fifth album, and was released 20 years after his fourth, Lost and Found. In that time, the actor’s career rocketed to new heights following various Bad Boys sequels, Men in Black 3, and I am Legend. He later won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Richard Williams in the 2021 sports biopic, King Richard.
However, his award was mired in controversy after he slapped Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Oscars after the host made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The star was banned from the Academy as a result of the incident, and apologized to Rock for the assault in a five-minute-long video posted to Instagram.
Smith now faces a new controversy as a lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 against him over his alleged behavior while on tour.
Why is Brian King Joseph suing Will Smith?
Brian King Joseph is suing Will Smith and Treyball Studios Management, Inc. for sexual harassment and wrongful termination, and accuses the star of “predatory behavior,” according to Variety. The suit also alleges that Smith was “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation.”
Joseph claimed that in March 2025, he returned to his hotel room in Las Vegas to find that someone had gained access into his room and left a “a sexual threat of violence.” The suit alleges that the unknown individual left a note that read, “Brian, I’ll be back… just us,” as well as “wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork.”
According to Joseph, Smith had previously told him how “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else.” After reporting the incident to the police and hotel staff, Joseph alleges that he also alerted Smith’s management, before a member of the tour team “shamed” him and fired him because the tour was “moving in a different direction.”
The suit claims that Joseph suffered “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages,” as a result of the incident. It is unclear how much King is seeking in damages.
Will Smith’s attorney denies the sexual assault allegations
While Smith has not publicly addressed the allegations, Allen B. Grotsky, his attorney, denied the accusations against the star in a statement to People on January 1, 2026.
It reads, “Mr. Joseph’s allegations concerning my client are false, baseless, and reckless. 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.”
On December 27, before the suit and the allegations against Smith were made public, King posted a video briefly explaining that he had chosen to pursue a legal case against someone as a result of the tour he was hired for. He did not mention Smith in the video, but explained his thoughts about reporting misconduct.
“The reason why I am speaking out about this is because getting fired, or getting blamed, or shamed, or threatened, or anything like that simply for reporting sexual misconduct or safety threats at work is not okay. I know there’s a lot of other people out there who have been afraid to speak up and I understand, and if that’s you, I see you,” he explained.
On January 2, Joseph thanked his followers for supporting him via his Instagram story, writing: “The support means a lot you guys, thank you.”
In 2018, Joseph was a finalist on America’s Got Talent Season 13, and came third place next to acrobatic group Zurcaroh, and the winner, a magician called Shin Lim.
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