Jada Pinkett Smith Sued for $3 Million — Here's What We Know

A former friend of the Smith family has filed a lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith.

A man who calls himself Will Smith's longtime friend is suing "Red Table Talk" co-host Jada Pinkett Smith, accusing her of threats, intimidation, and a campaign of retaliation.

Bilaal Salaam, also known as Brother Bilaal, has filed a $3 million lawsuit against Pinkett Smith, claiming she threatened him during a tense confrontation in 2021 and later tried to destroy his reputation.

Inside the Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit: Claims of Threats, NDAs, and a Birthday Party Confrontation

In the suit, obtained by People on December 1, 2025, Salaam describes himself as Smith's "best friend" of nearly 40 years. He says he's worked closely with the "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star on both personal and professional matters — and is even pictured in Smith's 2021 memoir, "Will."

The alleged confrontation happened on September 25, 2021, during a private birthday party for "The Pursuit of Happyness" actor at Regency Calabasas Commons.

Salaam claims Pinkett Smith approached him in the lobby with about seven people from her entourage. She allegedly grew verbally aggressive, warning that if he kept "telling her personal business," he would "end up missing or catch a bullet."

Pinkett Smith allegedly demanded he sign a nondisclosure agreement "or else," a warning he claims was anything but empty. As he tried to leave, her team allegedly followed him to his car, continuing to issue threats.

Six months later, in March 2022, Salaam claims a mutual acquaintance asked him to assist with "crisis management" after Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars — a moment that drew global attention.

The joke that triggered the incident referenced Pinkett Smith's alopecia, a condition she has publicly discussed.

Salaam says he declined, calling the request unethical. After that, he alleges, people close to the couple began threatening him and launched what he describes as a "retaliatory campaign."

The harassment reportedly only intensified once it became public that he was writing a "whistleblower memoir" and had appeared in a viral interview.

Public Allegations and Legal Responses: How Hollywood Stars Reacted to the Viral Interview

The revealing interview, posted on November 14, 2023, on "UNWINE WITH TASHA K" with host Tasha K, featured Salaam discussing his nearly 40-year friendship with Smith and his reasons for ultimately leaving the pair's inner circle.

During the interview, he alleged that the "Bad Boys" star had a sexual relationship with actor Duane Martin and claimed to have personally witnessed an encounter between the two men.

Salaam described the incident in explicit terms during the segment, which quickly gained widespread attention and went viral online.

The allegations sparked a strong response from Pinkett Smith. In a radio interview on "The Breakfast Club" on Power 105.1 FM, aired on November 15 that year, she denied the claims and confirmed to co-host Charlamagne Tha God that legal action was underway.

"It's ridiculous, right? And it's nonsense," Pinkett Smith said. "And this is a person that tried a shakedown — a money shakedown — that didn't work. We're going to take legal action because it's one thing to have your opinion about somebody versus just making up salacious, malicious stories. So that's actionable. So we going to roll with that."

When asked to clarify whether there had been a previous attempt at extortion, she confirmed that it had happened. She explained that the alleged extortion attempt stemmed from Salaam's belief that he had been involved in business related to Smith's memoir.

According to Pinkett Smith, he claimed to have invested money into the project and felt he was owed compensation, which she said was the basis for what she described as a "money shakedown." She added, "Um, Will was willing to give him a certain amount...and he didn't take it..."

She added that more details would become public as the legal process moves forward. Pinkett Smith also shared how Smith reacted to the situation, "Here's the one good thing about Will. Will's always gonna find the funny... He was like, 'Do you believe this [ __ ]?' You know, but we just laughed about it."

A rep for Smith later responded to the allegations, telling TMZ, "This story is completely fabricated and the claim is unequivocally false." Sources also said that Martin had no plans to publicly respond to Salaam's claims, calling the allegations too ridiculous to address.