Quote from Oladosun Joshua Segun on July 17, 2026, 10:12 PM

Will Smith's name was brought up in a court dispute between his former pal Bilaal Salaam and his ex-partner Jada Pinkett Smith. As per to court documents published by news sources, Salaam (also known as Brother Bilaal) is requesting the Oscar winner's testimony in his case against Pinkett Smith, whom he alleges of planning a smear campaign against him following an alleged altercation at Smith's birthday party in 2021.

Salaam, who defends himself in the case, stated in an email exchange appended to a motion filed by Pinkett Smith's legal team on July 15 that he planned to spend the first ten minutes of a thirty-minute call with the actress's attorney discussing his request to depose Smith.

But Pinkett Smith's attorney said there "is nothing to meet and confer about" with reference to Smith, stating in her petition that her client "denies all such allegations" from Salaam.

"Mr. Smith is not a party to this litigation," in her email reply to Salaam, the lawyer went on. "To the extent you seek his deposition, you must comply with the applicable procedures for obtaining discovery from a nonparty. As far as we are aware, no subpoena has been served on Mr. Smith."

Reps for Smith and Pinkett Smith have been contacted by news organizations for comment, but they have not responded.

In a $3 million lawsuit, Salaam accuses Pinkett Smith of "intentional infliction of emotional distress" after she and her friends reportedly intimidated him during Smith's 53rd birthday celebration over five years ago.

Salaam claimed in his November lawsuit that Pinkett Smith informed him that "if he continued ‘telling her personal business,’ he would ‘end up missing or catch a bullet.’"

Based on Salaam's claim, Pinkett Smith then allegedly insisted that he sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) "or else," before seven members of her crew reportedly followed him to his car.

In his lawsuit, Salaam claimed that after he declined to assist Pinkett Smith with "crisis management" following her ex's slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, "a retaliatory campaign was launched against him." He claimed that the purported smear effort caused him to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, a 100-pound weight gain, and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Pinkett Smith's lawyer is asking Salaam to provide recordings of phone conversations that he "places at the center of his claims" amid allegations of threats and intimidation in the July 15 application.

"Plaintiff has not unequivocally agreed to produce recordings," the proposal stated, "he has not stated whether responsive recordings with two of the alleged participants exist, and he refuses to state whether he will produce medical records supporting the physical and emotional injuries for which he seeks recovery."