Jada Pinkett Smith has asked a California court to dismiss a $3 million lawsuit filed by Bilaal Salaam, a former friend of Will Smith’s. The lawsuit, which was filed in December 2025, alleged that Pinkett Smith threatened him at a hotel. Here’s what we know.
Why did Bilaal Salaam file a lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith?
Salaam alleged Pinkett Smith threatened him at a hotel after he walked in on her and Will Smith engaging in a sexual act with actor Duane Martin. Salaam made these claims during an episode of the Unwine With Tasha K podcast, as People reported.
Salaam alleged that Pinkett Smith then confronted him and threatened him in the lobby of the Regency Calabasas Commons in September 2021. The complaint alleges that Pinkett Smith told Salaam that he would “end up missing or catch a bullet.”
Salaam also alleged that he was contacted by Martin, who said Smith and Pinkett Smith needed urgent assistance with “crisis management” following Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Salaam said he was asked to perform tasks he thought to be “illegal, unethical, or morally compromising.” He also said that he was threatened that he would face “serious problems” if he refused.
Salaam also alleged he received threats from individuals in Smith and Pinkett Smith’s circle and that he was the target of a “retaliatory campaign” launched against him, according to People. He said he faced additional threats after they found out he was writing a memoir about his time spent with the Smiths.
Jada Pinkett Smith has denied Bilaal Salaam’s claims
Pinkett Smith called the claims “nonsense” in an interview with The Breakfast Club. She also expressed wanting to sue Salaam over the claims. In a motion to dismiss Salaam’s lawsuit, Pinkett Smith alleged the suit violated California’s anti-SLAPP statute. The anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation Act “provides a procedure for weeding out, at an early stage, meritless claims arising from protected activity,” according to the motion, which was obtained by People.
“Plaintiff voluntarily gave media interviews claiming – without evidence – that he personally witnessed her husband, actor Will Smith, engaging in sexual acts,” the motion also reads. “Plaintiff’s allegations were false, uncorroborated, and made to generate attention as part of an ongoing public campaign of harassment directed at Defendant and her family.”
The motion adds that Salaam publicly shared the contents of a cease and desist letter received from the Smiths.
“That letter was not a public statement at all. It was classic pre-litigation activity – confidential legal correspondence sent by counsel in anticipation of litigation – and is independently protected under California law,” the motion indicated.
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