Will Smith’s Former ‘Best Friend Bilaal Salaam Files $3M Lawsuit, Alleges Jada Pinkett Smith Threatened Him

Jada Pinkett Smith threatened a longtime friend of her husband, Will Smith, telling him he would catch a bullet if he didn't shut his trap about her this according to court documents. The actress was sued in November 2025 for $3 million by Bilaal Salaam, who claimed he was Will's best buddy for almost 40 years, working closely together on several professional and personal projects. In the lawsuit, Salaam says Jada approached him with about 7 other people in her entourage at a private birthday gathering for Will's 53rd birthday party at a movie theater in Calabasas, CA, in September 2021. Salaam claims Jada "became verbally aggressive" and told him if he continued "telling her personal business," he would "end up missing or catch a bullet. Salaam says Jada "demanded" he sign a nondisclosure agreement "or else" and then says one of Jada's associates followed him to his car while they continued shouting "verbal threats in March 2022, Salaam says he refused to participate in "crisis management" for Will after the actor smacked Chris Rock across the face on stage at the Academy Awards. Salaam says he turned down the job because he didn't want to "perform tasks he believed were illegal, unethical, or morally compromising. "He claims Jada and Will's team then launched a "retaliatory campaign" against him, which worsened once the famous couple found out he was writing a "whistleblower memoir" about his time with them

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