Jada Pinkett Smith is facing a $3 million lawsuit from a former associate who claims she threatened him and tried to silence him in 2021.
The suit was filed by Bilaal Salaam (also known as Brother Bilaal), who describes himself as “a best friend” of Will Smith’s “for nearly 40 years.” He says he worked closely with the actor on various professional and personal projects and notes that Smith even included photos of him in his memoir Will.
According to the complaint, filed on Monday, Dec. 1, Salaam alleges that Pinkett Smith confronted him in the lobby of the Regency Calabasas Commons on Sept. 25, 2021, while he was attending a private birthday celebration for Smith. He claims she approached him with “approximately seven members of her entourage.”
The lawsuit states that Pinkett Smith “became verbally aggressive” and allegedly warned him that if he continued “telling her personal business,” he would “end up missing or catch a bullet.” Salaam further claims she “demanded” he sign a nondisclosure agreement “or else.”
After that confrontation, Salaam alleges, members of Pinkett Smith’s team followed him to his car and continued to issue verbal threats.
About six months later, in late March 2022, Salaam says he declined a request from a mutual friend to assist with “crisis management” following the Academy Awards, where Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after Rock joked about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head; she has previously spoken publicly about living with alopecia.
In the filing, Salaam asserts that he refused to take part in any efforts he believed would be “illegal, unethical, or morally compromising,” saying his conscience would not allow him to be involved in “any cover-up or deceptive PR campaign.”
He claims that after he refused, he began receiving threats from people in Smith and Pinkett Smith’s orbit and became the target of what he describes as a “retaliatory campaign” against him. Salaam further alleges that the backlash intensified once it became known that he was writing a “whistleblower memoir” about his time with the Smiths, and escalated even more after he gave an interview that he says “went viral.”
In a 2023 interview with Unwine With Tasha K, Salaam alleged that he once walked in on Will Smith engaging in a sexual act with actor Duane Martin.
The lawsuit claims that, instead of taking legal action or reporting “actual crimes,” Pinkett Smith “intentionally and maliciously engaged in a smear campaign through nationally broadcast interviews.”
Shortly after Salaam’s interview, Pinkett Smith was asked about his claims during an appearance on The Breakfast Club. She dismissed the allegation, saying, “Let me just say this. It’s ridiculous, right? And it’s nonsense.”
Salaam is suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging that Pinkett Smith publicly portrayed him as attempting to “shake down” her and Smith.
The complaint also cites her comments to TMZ, in which she said she and Smith planned to pursue legal action in response to Salaam’s accusations. According to Salaam, “Defendant never filed a lawsuit. The statement was false, reckless, and made with malicious intent to manipulate public opinion and damage Plaintiff’s character.”
Salaam contends that Pinkett Smith’s alleged actions — including what he describes as attempts by her and “her emissaries” to “bribe, intimidate and suppress” him — have caused significant harm, including financial losses, damage to his reputation, emotional distress, physical health problems, and “the complete derailment of his personal life and career.”
He is seeking $3 million in financial damages.
Representatives for Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, and Duane Martin have been contacted for comment.
