Jada Pinkett Smith allegedly warned her husband’s longtime friend that he could “disappear” if he continued to discuss her private affairs, according to startling claims in court documents.
The documents, filed by Bilaal Salaam, suggest that she even hinted he might “take a bullet” if he didn’t comply.
Salaam, who goes by Brother Bilaal, is suing Pinkett Smith for causing emotional distress and is seeking $3 million in damages.
He is acting as his own attorney in the lawsuit, which was submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court.
As per the court papers, Jada, aged 54, allegedly confronted Salaam with a group of seven individuals in the lobby of a Calabasas, California hotel during a private event for Will Smith’s 53rd birthday in September 2021.
He claims she became “verbally aggressive,” issuing threats and insisting he sign a non-disclosure agreement “or else.” Salaam reportedly left for his car, pursued by one of Jada’s associates who continued with “verbal threats.”
Bilaal Salaam told Daily Mail that he plans to go after his ‘former best friend’ Will Smith and that he plans to get ‘justice for the atrocities committed against me’ by the couple
According to court filings, Jada allegedly approached Salaam with a group of seven in the lobby of a Calabasas hotel during a private 2021 birthday gathering for Will, became ‘verbally aggressive,’ threatened him and demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement ‘or else’
Salaam – who made a cameo appearance in Will Smith’s 2000 movie The Legend of Bagger Vance – described himself in his suit as ‘a best friend for nearly 40 years’.
‘This relationship is confirmed by Will Smith’s published memoir, Will, which features plaintiff by name and/or photograph, and public testimony by actor D.L. Hughley,’ he wrote
Salaam claims he endured harrowing consequences, including PTSD, the onset of high blood-pressure and Type 2 diabetes, gaining 100 pounds and was ‘forced into self-exile for nearly two years’ which, he says cost him his long-term romantic relationship and the opportunity to see his children.
Speaking to the Daily Mail after filing the papers, Salaam said he is ‘seeking justice for the atrocities committed against me by Will and Jada’.
And he clarified that while the three counts target his former best friend’s wife, he says he plans to file against 57-year-old Will as well.
Salaam says he was threatened again immediately after the 2022 Oscars when Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock over a joke about his wife’s alopecia.
Salaam, 55, is suing Jada Pinkett Smith for $3million in damages for inflicting emotional distress, the Daily Mail can reveal
Actor Duane Martin contacted him asking for his help with crisis management, but he said he refused because ‘his conscience would not allow him to be involved in any cover-up or deceptive PR campaign’.
Martin told him he would have ‘serious problems with Jada if he refused to help, his papers say.
He then received threats from three of Smith’s associates, he claims.
The threats intensified when it became known he was planning a memoir about his time with the Smiths.
Salaam is even suing Jada for ‘intentional infliction of emotional distress’ because she denied to TMZ that she had ever seen her husband engage in sexual or intimate behavior with men.
He said she knew this was false because he had released a video showing Will grope actor Alfonso Ribeiro – ‘including his penis, nipple and buttocks’ – in front of Jada and her children.
He said her denial ‘was a deliberate effort to discredit’ him and it implied his earlier statements about Will were ‘inaccurate, delusional, or fabricated, causing severe public ridicule and loss of credibility’.
All the pressure meant that Salaam’s ‘luxury jewelry brand, Bopulent, – which he claimed had celebrity endorsements from Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, Viola Davis and Snoop Dogg – was destroyed, he claimed.
And, he said, his whistleblower memoir, for which he was projected to receive a $500,000 advance had to be suspended ‘out of fear and emotional collapse’.
In response, Jada appeared on iHeartMedia radio program and, according to the filing, ‘falsely stated’ that Salaam ‘had attempted a money shakedown, suggesting Plaintiff engaged in criminal extortion’
Actor Duane Martin allegedly called Salaam asking for for help in the ‘PR cover-up’ following the Academy Awards incident
Salaam also claims that the online fallout with Jada and Will destroyed his career and personal life, leading to severe emotional and physical health declines
The court document states Jada ‘began a coordinated media smear campaign against Salaam appearing on iHeartMedia radio program.
On the show, she ‘falsely stated’ that Salaam ‘had attempted a “money shakedown” … suggesting Plaintiff engaged in criminal extortion,” according to the documents.
The court document goes on to say Jada publicly stated she and her husband were going to sue him, damaging his reputation, but never followed through.
Those claims revolve around Salaam’s allegations that he walked in on Smith having sex with Duane Martin years ago.
‘The statement was false, reckless, and made with malicious intent to manipulate public opinion and damage plaintiff’s character,’ the nine-page court filing claims.
Reps for Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
