A former friend of Will Smith, 57, has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, 54, after allegedly threatening his life.
Bilaal “Brother Bilaal” Salaam, who went viral for stating wild claims about Smith in an interview with a blogger, has accused the mother of two of trying to intimidate him over a personal falling out.
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In a legal complaint filed on Nov. 7, Salaam, the self-described “best friend” of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star for nearly 40 years, contends that Jada confronted him at Will’s birthday party in September 2021.
The lawsuit, seeking $3 million, accuses Jada and approximately seven members of her entourage of approaching Salaam in the lobby of the Regency Calabasas Commons movie theatre, where she allegedly became verbally aggressive.
Salaam claimed Jada threatened that he would “end up missing or catch a bullet” if he refused to stop “telling her personal business.”
Additionally, the legal filing alleges that Will’s wife “demanded” Salaam sign a nondisclosure agreement, “or else,” which he says triggered a “retaliatory campaign” against him led by her.
That supposed behind-the-scenes revenge partially stemmed from Salaam allegedly refusing to help the Smiths with “crisis management” in 2022.
Will infamously slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony for making a joke on stage about Jada’s shaved head, inciting widespread backlash.
“Plaintiff refused to perform tasks he believed were illegal, unethical, or morally compromising, stating his conscience would not allow him to be involved in any cover-up or deceptive PR campaign,” Salaam’s suit alleges.
Moreover, Salaam maintains that Jada led the smear campaign and issued further threats after learning he would be releasing a “whistleblower memoir” about his time with the famous Hollywood family.
Salaam has made a series of provocative claims about Will’s personal life, including an allegation from 2023 involving actor Duane Martin.
“Let me just say this,” Jada responded when asked about the rumors involving her longtime spouse and Martin during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” radio show in 2023. “It’s ridiculous, right? And it’s nonsense.”
The “Girls Trip” star also denied the accusations while speaking to TMZ that same year, hinting at possibly taking legal action against Brother Bilaal for spreading the false rumors. But my how the tables have turned.
“Defendant never filed a lawsuit,” Salaam’s suit alleges. “The statement was false, reckless, and made with malicious intent to manipulate public opinion and damage Plaintiff’s character.”
In his lawsuit, Salaam describes Jada’s media comments as a “false denial” that he says harmed his reputation and career, and he blames her “reckless conduct” for his emotional distress.
Unsurprisingly, the scandalous nature of Brother Bilaal’s legal fight with the Smiths has sparked feverish online reactions. The comment section for People’s article about the situation was filled with replies, both slamming and defending Jada and Will.
“I hope she loses. She has some issues. I actually feel bad for Will Smith,” expressed one commenter. Another Jada hater added, “But it’s ok for her to talk smack about him all she wants… whatever!”
A third person wondered about Will, “Can’t figure out why he stays with her.” Yet another individual declared, “Catch a bullet? Sounds like a threat to me.”
“Sounds like just another money grubber to me, and I think Will Smith was right when he slapped Chris Rock, he had already warned Rock not to mention that insult about his wife,” a defender of the Smiths wrote.
People online went on calling the lawsuit frivolous, a waste of the court’s time and a complete “money grab.” One person disputing Bilal’s claim that he was hit by someone much smaller than him, said “Really? This tiny lady!? This tiny lady scared you?”
They continued, “If I was a judge I would fine you for filing a false suit when so many people already file these false claims (backing up the courts) and to top it off everyone knows you aren’t scared! You just want some money! Get out of here.”
Jada and Will tied the knot in 1997 after initially meeting on the set of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” three years earlier. They share two children, actor/rapper Jaden Smith (born 1998) and actress/musician Willow Smith (born 2000). Will has an older son, Trey Smith, from his first marriage to Sheree Zampino.
