Published on: January 9, 2026, at 09:08h.

Updated on: January 9, 2026, at 09:14h.

Will Smith’s return from one controversial episode has seemingly led him into another — this time involving a Las Vegas backdrop.

As reported first by the Los Angeles Times, Smith is facing a lawsuit from electric violinist Brian King Joseph, who previously competed on Season 13 of America’s Got Talent and performed briefly in Smith’s “Based on a True Story” tour.

Joseph claims he was terminated following a March 20 performance at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay shortly after disclosing an unsettling incident that occurred in his hotel room.

In a complaint lodged on December 30 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Joseph states he returned to his hotel room to discover a handwritten note addressed to him alongside a bag that had gone missing from Smith’s tour bus—this bag contained his room key. Inside, he alleges there were wipes, a beer bottle, an earring, hospital discharge papers, and a bottle of HIV medication labeled under an unfamiliar name.

The lawsuit further claims that Joseph found “a handwritten note addressed to Plaintiff by name, which read ‘Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] than 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F.’”

Joseph documented the items and sent images to Smith and his management firm, Treyball Studios, while also reporting the incident to law enforcement and requesting a new room. According to the lawsuit, Mandalay Bay security found no indications of forced entry, and Joseph returned home the next day.

The complaint also emphasizes that Joseph and Smith spent time together privately, during which Smith allegedly made comments indicative of an intimate relationship.

A few days following this interaction, Joseph claims a representative from Treyball notified him of his removal from the tour, allegedly stating, “everyone is telling me that what happened to you is a lie” and that he had “made the whole thing up.”

Joseph’s attorney, Jonathan J. Delshad, argues in the lawsuit that Smith’s purported remarks and the items found in the hotel point to “a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident.”

Smith’s legal counsel, Allen B. Grodsky, has categorically dismissed the allegations, branding them as “false, baseless, and reckless” in statements to the media, asserting that Smith “vehemently denies” them.

On December 26, Joseph addressed the issue indirectly in an Instagram post, stating he could not provide further details due to the ongoing legal situation but emphasized that “being fired or being blamed, shamed, or threatened… simply for reporting sexual misconduct or safety concerns at work, is unacceptable.”

The lawsuit seeks punitive damages, attorney fees, and further compensation to be determined through trial proceedings.