In a dramatic twist to the ongoing legal saga, a former friend of Will Smith has emerged from the shadows, calling for the Hollywood icon to testify against his own wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. This comes as part of a hefty $3 million lawsuit that has been brewing since it was filed in November 2025.
Bilaal Salaam, once a familiar face at the Smiths’ gatherings, claims that Jada unleashed a barrage of threats against him during a celebration for Will’s birthday in September 2021. In pursuit of his case, Salaam dispatched an email on July 7 urging a judge to mandate Will’s participation in a deposition, as revealed by court papers accessed by Page Six.
However, Jada’s legal representatives quickly shot back, asserting that there is no need for further discussion since the “Men in Black” star is neither involved in the lawsuit nor has been formally subpoenaed.
“Should you wish to pursue his deposition, compliance with the guidelines for obtaining discovery from a non-party is necessary,” declared the email in response to Salaam’s request.
Fanning the flames, Jada’s legal entourage has also leveled accusations against Salaam, pointing out that he has yet to present any substantive proof to support his claims. They have consequently demanded that Salaam produce medical documentation to substantiate his alleged emotional distress stemming from the incident.
Additionally, the attorneys are asking for the alleged recorded communications Salaam is claiming to have with those who were involved when Jada allegedly threatened him.
While Salaam’s request to go to trial was denied, he and the “Girls Trip” star have a scheduled hearing for Aug. 19.
Reps for Jada, 54, and Will, 57, weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
Salaam, who labeled himself as Will’s “best friend for nearly 40 years,” alleged that Jada approached him with an entourage while at the Regency Calabasas Common on Sept. 25, 2021.
At the time, they were attending Will’s birthday party when Salaam claimed that Jada “became verbally aggressive, and threatened [him] by stating that if he continued ‘telling her personal business,’ he would ‘end up missing or catch a bullet,’ and demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) ‘or else,’” per the lawsuit.
According to the filing obtained by Page Six, Salaam alleged that the actress continued to threaten him as he walked to his car.
Salaam also alleged that he dealt with “a retaliatory campaign” after he didn’t help with crisis management after Will notoriously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars for poking fun at Jada.
Jada addressed the allegations in February, slamming the claims as “false, uncorroborated, and made to generate attention as part of an ongoing public campaign of harassment directed at” herself and family.
The former “Red Table Talk” host also stated that Salaam had a “fixation” on her family and had not mentioned the latter’s name when the alleged incident occurred in 2021.
Additionally, she requested that Salaam cover her $49,000 in legal fees as the litigation continues.