A bombshell new lawsuit has been filed against Will Smith's estranged wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Will and Jada, who have been married since 1997, revealed in 2023 that they had been quietly separated since 2016. However, they remain close friends and have announced no intention of splitting up permanently.
Bilaal Salaam, who also goes by Brother Bilaal, first filed the lawsuit with the Los Angeles County Superior Court on November 7, per court documents obtained by HELLO!. It was filed at Van Nuys Courthouse West, under the label "Other Non-Personal Injury/Property Damage tort."
© O'Connor/AFF-USA/ShutterstockThe case
Dubbing himself a "best friend" of Will's for "40 years," he charged Jada, 54, with three counts of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress. Jada had previously also mentioned Bilaal as conducting a "money shakedown" over Will's memoir, which the Plaintiff also claims he was included in to cite their closeness.
His case began by citing an alleged incident at the Regency Calabasas Commons on September 25, 2021, while at a private birthday celebration for Will, now 57. He claims that Jada approached him with "approximately seven members of her entourage" and threatened him.
© Unwine with Tasha KBilaal claims that she became "verbally aggressive," allegedly threatening him for "telling her personal business," stating that she said he'd "end up missing" "catch a bullet," going so far as to say she allegedly asked him to sign an NDA and following him to his car, continuing to insult him.
Controversies
He also points to two significant moments that further allegedly "heightened" the "retaliatory campaign" against him, those being the 2022 Academy Awards, when Will slapped Chris Rock for his joke about Jada, and a 2023 interview of his with Unwine with Tasha K.
Bilaal notes being approached by actor Duane Martin to aid the Smiths with "crisis management" after the Oscars debacle, but apparently refused, citing it to be "illegal, unethical, or morally compromising," per the documents. This apparently soured his relationship with the family, Jada in particular.
In 2023, he then claimed in his Unwine with Tasha K interview that he had allegedly walked in on Will and Duane engaging in a sexual act in the former's dressing room, which both Will and Jada soon publicly denied. During an interview with The Breakfast Club, Jada even dubbed the allegations "ridiculous," and Bilaal claims in his lawsuit that she threatened to file her own lawsuit against him, which hasn't happened so far.
© Getty ImagesAftermath
Bilaal is seeking a whopping $3 million in damages for "emotional distress," and alleged that he even plans to file a suit against Will himself. He also claims that the "distress" caused by Jada, the Defendant, has led to financial and reputational harm, physical and emotional health issues, as well as "the complete derailment of his personal life and career."
© Unwine with Tasha KHe told the Daily Mail after filing that he is "seeking justice for the atrocities committed against me by Will and Jada." Legal teams for Jada or Will have not yet issued statements, and the next hearing is scheduled for March 9, 2026 in Van Nuys, California.
