Violinist Brian King Joseph has filed a lawsuit against Will Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, alleging sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.
According to the complaint obtained by Variety, Smith is accused of “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation” while the musician was part of the Based on a True Story tour.
The lawsuit states that Joseph was first hired by Smith in Nov. 2024 to perform at a show in San Diego, before officially joining the tour the following year.
Joseph claims that during the tour, his bag — which contained his hotel room key — went missing for several hours. When it was eventually recovered by management and returned, he later went back to his hotel room in Las Vegas and discovered that someone had allegedly entered the room without permission.
According to the suit, several unfamiliar items were left behind, including a handwritten note that read, “Brian, I’ll be back…just us,” accompanied by a drawn heart and signed “Stone F,” along with wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another person’s name on it, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to someone Joseph did not know.
Joseph says the items made him fear that “an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts” with him. He reportedly contacted hotel staff, a non-emergency police line, and representatives for Smith to report what he found.
The lawsuit further alleges that days later, a member of Smith’s tour management team shamed Joseph and informed him that he was being let go.
Joseph claims the hotel room incident caused him “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages,” while his termination allegedly resulted in PTSD and financial hardship.
