Jada Pinkett-Smith is facing some serious allegations from Will Smith’s former best friend and longtime associate, who has made some hard-hitting claims that she physically threatened him back in 2021. After years of behind-the-scenes feuding, the “Set It Off” star is now facing a $3 million lawsuit.
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According to Page Six, Bilaal Salaam (a.k.a Brother Bilaal), the former best friend of Will Smith of “nearly 40 years,” is most notable for working closely with Smith on several personal and professional projects; Smith included photos of Salaam in the actor’s memoir, “Will.” On Nov. 7, Salaam filed a lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith for harsh threats she made against him.
In the filed complaint, Salaam claims that Pinkett confronted him at the Regency Calabasas Common during Smith’s 53rd birthday party on Sept. 25, 2021. The lawsuit claims Pinkett-Smith was escorted by seven members of her entourage, spewing out aggressive words, even threatening Salaam by stating that if her continued “telling her personal business, he would end up missing or catch a bullet,” and demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) or else. Yikes!
After the verbal exchange, Salaam also claims that an associate of Pinkett-Smith followed him to his car and continued issuing verbal threats.
Tension rose in March 2022 when, according to the lawsuit, a “retaliatory campaign” was launched against him after he refused to help with “crisis management” following the infamous Chris Rock incident at The Oscars. Salaam declined to perform tasks that he considered “illegal, unethical, or morally compromising,” including participating in “any deceptive PR campaign.”The suit adds that Pinkett Smith’s team became hostile after discovering he was writing a “whistleblower memoir” about his time with the Smiths.
In 2023, The Root reported on Salaam’s allegations that he caught Will engaging in sexual activity with actor and friend Duane Martin. This claim was denied by Pinkett Smith when asked by TMZ, saying she had never witnessed her husband in any intimate act with men.
Salaam argues in the lawsuit that Pinkett Smith’s “false denial” was a deliberate effort to discredit him and imply that his statements about Will were “inaccurate, delusional, or fabricated,” resulting in public ridicule and loss of credibility.
According to the court documents, Salaam claims he has suffered damages like financial loss, reputational harm, emotional distress, physical health issues, and “the complete derailment of his personal life and career,” all stemming from Pinkett Smith’s alleged actions to “bribe, intimidate and supress him.”
While the opposing parties battle it out, the court of public opinion has already tagged itself in.
One X user wrote:
Another added:
A third user posted a very interesting take, saying:
“No one cares about the constant attempts to drag The Smiths for what may or may not be their legal sexual proclivities. Their Black audience understands Jada is from Baltimore and doesn’t play with folks or else is how folks talk, and their White audience is pro 2nd Amendment energy.”
So far, neither the Smiths nor their legal team has issued a statement.
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