Violinist Sues Will Smith, Claims He Was Fired After Reporting Sexual Assault Incident on Tour

A violinist who toured with Will Smith has filed a lawsuit against the actor and his company, claiming he was wrongfully fired after reporting a disturbing incident at a hotel during the tour.

Brian King Joseph is suing Will Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, over events that allegedly happened during Smith’s Based on a True Story 2025 tour.

According to a civil complaint filed on Dec. 31 in a Los Angeles court, Joseph says that while staying at a Las Vegas hotel booked by the tour, he returned to his room and found signs that someone had entered without his permission. He claims there was a handwritten sexual note, wipes, a beer bottle, HIV medication with another person’s name on it, and hospital discharge papers belonging to someone else.

Joseph says the note included a message suggesting the person would return later and was signed with the name “Stone F.”

The violinist says he immediately reported the situation to hotel security and tour management. However, he claims tour officials accused him of lying and blamed him for what happened. A few days later, Joseph says he was fired. He was told the tour was “moving in a different direction,” but he claims another violinist was hired almost immediately to replace him.

In the lawsuit, Joseph alleges that Smith had been “grooming” him for sexual exploitation since they met in November 2024. He claims they began spending more time alone together and that Smith made comments suggesting they had a “special connection.” Joseph also points to a separate incident in which his bag, containing his hotel room key, allegedly went missing under suspicious circumstances.

Joseph argues that the hotel incident was not random and claims it shows a pattern of predatory behavior.

The lawsuit includes claims of retaliation, wrongful termination, intimidation, and sexual harassment. Joseph is seeking compensation for financial losses and emotional distress. He says he spent a large amount of money preparing for the tour, which ran from July to early September, and now suffers from serious psychological harm, including PTSD, following the incident and his firing.

Neither Will Smith nor his company has publicly responded to the lawsuit at this time.