A decades-long friendship is imploding in court. Bilaal Salaam, who’s been best friends with Will Smith for nearly 40 years, filed a $3 million lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith back in November 2025. The claim? That Jada confronted him at Will’s September 2021 birthday party and allegedly threatened him, saying he’d“end up missing or catch a bullet”if he continued sharing details about her personal life. According to Salaam’s account, she also demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement on the spot.
Now things are getting legally messy. In July 2026, Salaam sent an email requesting that a judge force Will Smith to sit for a deposition and provide testimony against his own wife. But Jada’s legal team quickly shut that down, arguing that Will isn’t a party to the lawsuit and Salaam needs to follow proper legal procedures if he wants a nonparty’s testimony. They’re also demanding Salaam provide medical records proving he suffered emotional distress and submit any recorded conversations as evidence. Jada’s response, filed in February, calls the allegations“false, uncorroborated, and made to generate attention”as part of a harassment campaign against her family.
The timeline here matters. Salaam also claims he faced retaliation after refusing to help with crisis management following Will’s infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. A hearing is scheduled for August 19, 2026, and Jada is asking that Salaam pay her $49,000 in legal fees. So what do you think—is Will going to be forced to choose sides, or will the court side with Jada’s legal team on this one?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
