Jada Pinkett Smith allegedly told a former associate he would “catch a bullet” if he kept “telling her business”.
The 54-year-old actress is being sued for $3 million by Bilaal Salaam, who is also known as Brother Bilaal and has described himself as a “best friend” of Will Smith “for nearly 40 years”.
As reported by PEOPLE, a complaint filed this week has alleged that Pinkett Smith confronted Salaam in the Regency Calabasas Commons lobby on September 25, 2021 during a private 53rd birthday party for Smith.
It’s claimed she had around “seven members of her entourage” by her side at the time.
He has alleged the Gotham star “became verbally aggressive, and threatened Plaintiff by stating that if he didn’t stop ‘telling her personal business'”, he would “‘end up missing or catch a bullet'”.
He also claimed she “demanded” he sign a nondisclosure agreement “or else”.
The complaint alleges that her team following Salaam to his car as they continued “to issue verbal threats”.
Salaam has further claimed that towards the end of March 2022, he refused a request from a mutual friend calling on him to help with “crisis management” after Smith struck Chris Rock over a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved hair.
The filing continues that he “refused to perform tasks he believed were illegal, unethical, or morally compromising”, insisting that “his conscience would not allow him to be involved in any cover-up or deceptive PR campaign”.
He has alleged that he subsequently received threats from those around the husband and wife, who separated in 2016.
Salaam is set to write a “whistleblower memoir” about his experiences around the pair, and he claimed he has faced further threats as a result.
He is said to be suing her for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
His complaint also references his 2023 claims on Unwine With Tasha K that he walked in on Smith and Duane Martin engaged in a sexual act.
Pinkett Smith branded the claim “nonsense”, before telling TMZ that she and Smith were planning to take legal action.
Salaam has alleged: “Defendant never filed a lawsuit. The statement was false, reckless, and made with malicious intent to manipulate public opinion and damage Plaintiff’s character.”
He added that there have been attempts from both Pinkett Smith and “her emissaries” to “bribe, intimidate and suppress” him.
He has alleged that he suffered financial loss, emotional drama, physical health issues and reputational harm, as well as a “complete derailment of his personal life and career”.
