Will Smith faces a lawsuit from a former performer he employed for his 2025 tour. Brian King Joseph, a violinist and Season 13 finalist from America’s Got Talent, is accusing the acclaimed actor of workforce retaliation. Joseph claims he was dismissed for reporting a sexual harassment incident.
Joseph describes enduring a “traumatic series of events” while on Smith’s team, leading to his dismissal after he reported finding suspicious items in his Las Vegas hotel room in March 2025.
A lawyer representing Smith and the implicated company responded to the allegations in Entertainment Weekly, stating, “Mr. Joseph’s allegations regarding my client are utterly without merit and irresponsible. They are completely refuted, and we intend to employ every legal avenue to contest these accusations and reveal the truth.”
In his legal claim, Joseph alleges that an unidentified person left items in his room that implied a “sexual threat of violence.” These items included “wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication labeled with another person’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge documents” owned by someone else. Additionally, a note stating, “Brian, I’ll be back… just us,” signed with a heart and the name Stone F., was also found.
Joseph further alleges that prior to this hotel room incident, Smith made inappropriate advances toward him, suggesting that he was being groomed for further “sexual exploitation.” Joseph recounts Smith saying, “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else,” in one of their meetings.
After discovering the intrusion and the items in his hotel room, Joseph reported the incident to the hotel staff, a local non-emergency police line, and Smith’s management team. According to Joseph, a member of the management team then criticized him and threatened his job, leading to his swift termination.
Joseph claims the ordeal has led to “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages,” including symptoms of “PTSD and other mental illnesses” stemming from both the alleged harassment and his subsequent firing.
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