MOSCOW - US violinist Brian King Joseph has accused Hollywood actor and musician Will Smith of sexual harassment, filing suit in Los Angeles court, the Fox News broadcaster reported, citing court documents.
"The facts strongly suggest that Defendant Willard Carroll Smith II was deliberately grooming and priming 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 behaviour rather than an isolated incident," the lawsuit read on Thursday.
The alleged incident took place in Las Vegas in 2025, when Smith hired a cellist for his musical tour, Fox News reported.
According to Joseph, an unknown person entered his employer-provided hotel room in his absence, leaving a note that read: "Brian, I'll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F." After the cellist reported it to his employer, he was fired. He now seeks compensation for emotional, financial, and reputational harm, the lawsuit said.
In December 2025, Smith's former close friend Bilaal Salaam filed a US$3 million lawsuit against wife Jada Pinkett Smith, alleging she threatened him with violence over disclosures about her personal life, Page Six reported, citing a copy of the suit.
In the lawsuit, Salaam claimed a harassment campaign targeted him after he refused to help the former friend manage a public crisis stemming from an incident at the Academy Awards.
In March 2022, at the Oscars ceremony, comedian Chris Rock was punched in the face by Smith over a joke about his wife. Smith later apologised to guests while accepting his award. Rock did not file a police report. Smith received a 10-year Oscars ban despite being a two-time winner, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences stripped him of membership. - BERNAMA