Jada Pinkett Smith has formally requested a Los Angeles court to dismiss a $3 million lawsuit filed against her by Bilaal Salaam, a musician with longstanding ties to her husband, Will Smith. In legal documents obtained by Daily Mail, the 54-year-old actress asserts that Salaam's claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress are based on "false" and "uncorroborated" statements, providing the foundation for her motion to have the case thrown out.
Allegations of Harassment and Protected Speech
Pinkett Smith contends that Salaam initiated the lawsuit as part of an "ongoing public campaign of harassment" directed at the Smith family, whom he is allegedly fixated upon. She argues that the remarks cited in Salaam's litigation are "constitutionally protected," emphasizing her right to speak on matters of intense public interest concerning her family. The Girls Trip star maintains that her statements fall within legal boundaries, challenging the validity of the emotional distress claims.
Background of the Dispute
Salaam, in a lawsuit filed in November 2025, detailed a four-decade friendship with Will Smith that soured following the actor's infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. According to court documents, Salaam declined to provide "crisis management" services for Smith after the incident, citing concerns over performing tasks he deemed "illegal, unethical, or morally compromising." This refusal, he claims, triggered a "retaliatory campaign" by the Smith family, which intensified upon news of his memoir about his affiliation with them.
Salaam alleges that an affiliate of Pinkett Smith warned him to "end this feud before you get physically hurt" upon learning of the potential book. He further recounts a September 2021 encounter at a theater in Calabasas, California, during Will Smith's 53rd birthday celebration, where Pinkett Smith, accompanied by seven people, became "verbally aggressive." Salaam asserts she told him he would end up "missing, or catch a bullet" if he continued discussing the family's personal matters publicly and demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Connection to the Oscars Incident
The lawsuit is intertwined with the aftermath of Will Smith's March 27, 2022, attack on Chris Rock, who joked about Pinkett Smith's shaved head—a reference to her alopecia diagnosis. Smith slapped Rock onstage and shouted obscenities, an incident for which he has since apologized multiple times, resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and received a 10-year ban from the Oscars. In a July 2022 apology video, Smith clarified that his wife had "nothing to do with" the slap, attributing it to his own history with Rock.
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, married since New Year's Eve 1997, are parents to Jaden and Willow, while Smith also has a son, Trey, from a previous marriage. The legal battle unfolds as the four-year anniversary of the Oscars slap approaches, highlighting ongoing tensions and public scrutiny surrounding the family.
