OAN Staff Cory Hawkins and Brooke Mallory
4:27 PM – Friday, January 2, 2026
Professional violinist Brian King Joseph, a former America’s Got Talent contestant, has filed a lawsuit against actor and rapper Will Smith and his management company, Treyball Studios Management, alleging sexual harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation.
In his complaint, which was filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, 33-year-old Joseph, who toured with Smith in 2025, argues that he was wrongfully terminated and faced retaliation after reporting workplace safety hazards.
The electric violinist said that he told Smith and his team that someone “unlawfully” went into his Las Vegas hotel room during their tour and purposely left a handwritten note, among other items such as wipes, beer bottles, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication labeled with another person’s name, an earring and hospital discharge paperwork.
The note appeared to inform Joseph of the sender’s expected return time while also conveying a sexual or romantic sentiment.
The lawsuit labels Smith and TreyBall Studios Management as defendants and accuses Smith of “predatory behavior” and “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation” while on his “Based on a True Story: 2025 Tour” this past spring.
Smith hired Joseph in November 2024 to perform at a show in San Diego, California, and later invited him to join his 2025 tour and contribute to his upcoming album. As their professional relationship deepened, Smith purportedly told Joseph that “you and I have such a special connection, that I don’t have with anyone else,” along with other similar expressions.
Then, in March 2025, during the first leg of Smith’s tour in Las Vegas, hotel rooms were booked for the whole band and crew. According to Joseph’s lawsuit, his bag — which contained his hotel room key — went missing for several hours before management suspiciously “found and returned it,” the suit explains.
Joseph emphasizes in the complaint that Smith’s management team were the “only individuals with access to his room.”
Among the items found in his room, Joseph picked up a note that allegedly read “Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F,” which the violinist interpreted as a threat or warning that “an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts” with him — whether he wanted to or not.
Shortly afterward, Joseph reported the incident to Smith’s team, which quickly resulted in his termination from the tour. He was also accused of fabricating the claim, and another violinist was hired to replace him.
In the complaint, Joseph goes on to accuse Smith of “deliberately grooming and priming him for further sexual exploitation, suggesting a pattern of predatory behavior.”
Joseph asserts that the termination and alleged sexual harassment has caused him to experience PTSD and other mental health symptoms. He is seeking a jury trial along with compensatory damages, attorney’s fees, and any other relief the jury deems appropriate.
Smith’s attorney, Allen B. Grodsky, denied the violinist’s claims in a statement on Thursday.
“Mr. Joseph’s allegations concerning my client are false, baseless, and reckless,” Grodsky stated. “They are categorically denied, and we will use all legal means available to address these claims and to ensure that the truth is brought to light.”
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