AGT Finalist Brian King Joseph Sues Will Smith & Company for Sexual Harassment & Wrongful Termination

Will Smith and his management company, Treyball Studios Management Inc., were slapped with a lawsuit in Los Angeles County court. The suit, brought by professional violinist and ‘America’s Got Talent’ finalist Brian King Joseph, accuses Smith and his company of sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.

In the complaint, which was officially filed Tuesday, Dec. 30, Joseph alleges that Smith “was deliberately grooming and priming” him for further sexual exploitation after Smith invited Joseph to be featured on his “Based on a True Story: 2025‘” album in November 2024 after Joseph played an intimate performance at Smith’s home.

The lawsuit details an alleged “traumatic series of events” that occurred in March 2025 following a tour stop in Las Vegas.

Joseph alleges that when he returned to his hotel room around 11 p.m., he discovered someone had entered without his consent. Hotel security did not find signs of forced entry, according to the complaint.

Joseph said he found a note that read, “Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us,” accompanied by a drawn heart and signed “Stone F.”

The suit alleges Joseph also discovered wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication labeled with another individual’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to someone unknown to him.

After discovering the items, Joseph said he feared an unknown person would return to his room to engage in sexual acts with him. He reported the incident to hotel police, notified Smith’s representatives, and took photographs of the room, according to the filing.

Joseph said in the complaint that his “only concern was safety” and that he did not seek special treatment or compensation.

Days after the alleged incident, Joseph claims a member of Smith’s tour management shamed him and blamed him for what occurred. The lawsuit alleges the individual told him, “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 suit alleges Joseph was fired in retaliation for reporting the incident, causing “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages.”

Joseph is no stranger to the entertainment industry. The Washington DC Native first began performing professionally at the age of 4. Since then he has performed with major acts such as Usher, Snoop Dogg, DMX, George Clinton & P Funkadelics, Machine Gun Kelly, Mike Posner and more.

In addition to touring and performing with other acts Joseph’s Reggae band Lucky Dub, was personally requested to perform for the Mayor of DC and Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor.

On television Joseph has appeared on MTV’s The Real World, BET Awards, Good Morning America. In 2018 Joseph appeared on America’s Got Talent’s season 13 where he placed as a top-three finalist.

In a statement to People, Allen B. Grodsky, an attorney for Smith, said Joseph’s allegations are “false, baseless and reckless.” He said the claims are categorically denied and that Smith will pursue all legal options to challenge them.

Joseph is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees.

The lawsuit follows a separate $3 million complaint filed early last month by Bilaal Salaam, a former friend of the Smith family, against Jada Pinkett Smith, alleging verbal threats.

In that complaint, Salaam alleges that in 2021 Pinkett Smith demanded he sign a nondisclosure agreement “or else” and followed him to his car while continuing to issue verbal threats.

Prior to filing his official complaint in court Joseph hinted at the situation via Instagram. In a video posted on his Instagram Dec 25.

“Earlier this year I was hired to be a performer on a major major tour with somebody who was huge in the industry. So I was excited, you know, proud of myself for getting the opportunity. Unfortunately some things happened,” Joseph said. 

He continued saying.  “I can’t get too into the details of exactly what that was because it’s already a legal issue right now, but the reason why I’m 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.”

Joseph ended the video saying “I know that there’s a lot of other people out there who have been afraid to speak out, and I understand, and if that’s you, I see you,” he added. “And that’s pretty much it. More updates to come soon. Thanks for listening.”

 

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