A former confidant of Will Smith alleges in a new $3 million lawsuit that Jada Pinkett Smith escalated a private disagreement into an intimidation campaign.
Bilaal Salaam—who calls himself “a best friend” of Will Smith’s “for nearly 40 years”—claims he “worked closely” with the actor on personal and professional projects and even appeared in photos included in Smith’s memoir Will. Now he is suing his wife Jada, alleging she threatened him, harassed him, and tried to silence him as their relationship soured.
In a complaint reviewed by People, Salaam says Pinkett Smith confronted him on September 25, 2021, in the lobby of the Regency Calabasas Commons while he attended a private birthday event for Smith.
He alleges Pinkett Smith arrived with “approximately seven members of her entourage,” “became verbally aggressive,” and warned that if he kept “telling her personal business,” he would “end up missing or catch a bullet.” According to the filing, she then “demanded” he sign a nondisclosure agreement “or else.”
Salaam claims Pinkett Smith’s team followed him to his car “while continuing to issue verbal threats.” Months later—after the Oscars incident in which Smith slapped Chris Rock—Salaam alleges he refused an ask from a mutual acquaintance to assist with “crisis management.”
His complaint says he told them he would not take part in anything “illegal, unethical, or morally compromising,” insisting his “conscience would not allow him to be involved in any cover-up or deceptive PR campaign.”
From there, he says, the pressure escalated. Salaam alleges he was targeted by a “retaliatory campaign” launched by Smith and Pinkett Smith’s circle and that he faced more threats after they learned he was writing a “whistleblower memoir.” The stakes rose again, he claims, when an interview he gave “went viral.”
In a 2023 appearance on Unwine With Tasha K, Salaam alleged he once walked in on Smith in a sexual act with actor Duane Martin. Pinkett Smith publicly brushed off the claim, telling The Breakfast Club host Charlamagne tha God: “Let me just say this. It’s ridiculous, right? And it’s nonsense.”
The Smiths and Duane Martin did not imemdiately respond to request for comment.
Salaam accuses Pinkett Smith of intentionally smearing him, including by suggesting in an interview that he had attempted to “shake down” the couple. He also cites a statement she made to TMZ saying the pair planned legal action against him—something he says never happened. “The statement was false, reckless, and made with malicious intent to manipulate public opinion and damage Plaintiff’s character,” the lawsuit alleges.
According to the filing, Pinkett Smith and “her emissaries” allegedly tried to “bribe, intimidate and suppress” him, causing financial losses, reputational damage, emotional distress, physical health problems, and what he describes as “the complete derailment of his personal life and career.”
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