A male violinist who performed with Will Smith has filed a sexual harassment and wrongful termination lawsuit against the actor and his production company.
According to The New York Times, the lawsuit was filed earlier this week on behalf of plaintiff Brian King Joseph. In court documents, attorneys for Joseph say their client was fired in retaliation after reporting that somebody had broken into his hotel room in March. The intruder left behind several items, the apparent nature of which led Joseph to characterize the incident as a form of sexual harassment.
Joseph claims that, while on tour with Smith in Las Vegas, he was assigned a hotel room.
After checking in, Joseph reportedly found a handwritten note addressed to “Brian.” The note was accompanied by a backpack, beer, baby wipes, and a pill-bottle of HIV medication.
The lawsuit says that Joseph, after processing what he found, immediately began to fear that “an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts.”
The note, adds the New York Times, was allegedly signed with the name “Stone F.”
Allen B. Grodsky, a lawyer for Smith, told the Times that the allegations are “false, baseless, and reckless.”
“They are categorically denied,” Grodsky said. “And we will use all legal means available to address these claims and to ensure that the truth is brought to light.”
Joseph claims that he was fired for reporting what he found, which included “medical paperwork belonging to someone he did not know,” to hotel staff. Several days after filing the report, Joseph was informed that he would no longer be welcome on the “Based on a True Story” tour.
“Rather than being protected against further assault, and for attempting to understanding [sic] Plaintiff’s complaint, Plaintiff was shamed by Defendant and told that he was being terminated,” the lawsuit says.
“When Plaintiff requested […] further reasoning, Tim Miller, acting on behalf of Defendants, redirected the blame for the termination onto Plaintiff, replying, ‘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?’” the lawsuit alleges.
“However, following Plaintiff’s report and termination, Defendant hired another violinist to assume the same position on the tour,” court filings claim. “This hiring strongly suggested that Defendant’s stated reason for the termination was pretextual.”
The lawsuit notes that Joseph, a violinist who finished third on a season of “America’s Got Talent,” auditioned for the tour at Smith’s home in November 2024. Shortly afterward, he was invited to perform with Smith at concerts and contribute to an upcoming album.
Before the hotel room incident allegedly took place, Joseph claims to have spent increasing amounts of time with Smith. “Their relationship grew even closer,” the lawsuit says without offering any additional explanation.
“You and I have such a special connection,” Smith purportedly said, “that I don’t have with anyone else.”
The lawsuit claims that Smith “was deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation,” suggesting that these remarks were part of a broader “pattern of predatory behavior.”
The New York Times notes that the lawsuit, despite naming Smith as a defendant, does not describe any specific actions that Smith himself may have taken.
Sources
2 Jan / Fri
Violinist on Will Smith’s Tour Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit
Will Smith sued for sexual harassment, accused of ‘deliberately grooming’ tour violinist
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