Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are privately fuming after a longtime acquaintance of the actor filed a $3 million lawsuit accusing Pinkett Smith of threatening him and orchestrating a campaign against him, according to a source close to the couple.

The complaint, brought by Bilaal Salaam, who has described himself as Smith's friend for nearly four decades, was filed Dec. 1 and centers on an alleged confrontation in 2021.

Salaam claims Pinkett Smith approached him during Smith's private birthday celebration in Calabasas and issued a warning that if he kept "telling her personal business," he would "end up missing or catch a bullet." He also alleges she demanded he sign an NDA.

The Smiths, however, are dismissing the case outright. "They are really mad and say it's a lot of crap," an entertainment source told People, adding that the couple views Salaam as "an opportunistic person out to exploit them."

The source said the lawsuit is seen internally as "a money ploy."

A Growing Rift With a Longtime Insider

Salaam's filing outlines a breakdown that he claims began after he refused to help with "crisis management" following Smith's 2022 Oscars incident.

According to the complaint, he turned down tasks he believed were "illegal, unethical, or morally compromising." After that, he says, he began receiving threats and believed he was being targeted by people in the couple's circle—especially after he began working on what he described as a "whistleblower memoir."

The situation escalated after a 2023 interview on Unwine With Tasha K, during which Salaam claimed he once walked in on Smith and actor Duane Martin during a sexual encounter.

Pinkett Smith publicly brushed the allegation aside at the time, laughing during a separate interview and calling it "nonsense." In another interview, she suggested Salaam was simply trying to "shake down" the couple, remarks he cites as part of his claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress.

His lawsuit alleges the public comments were "false" and made with "malicious intent to manipulate public opinion and damage Plaintiff's character."

Couple Says They're Being Taken Advantage Of

People close to the Smiths say they feel blindsided by what they consider a betrayal from someone who had spent decades in their orbit.

"Bilaal has been close to Will for many years," another insider told People, "but somewhere along the way he became a blabbermouth," which the couple found deeply unsettling. Like many public figures, the source added, "they don't want to hear about their lives in the public arena— especially in a controversial way."

The source said Salaam's $3 million demand "was tailored to produce some money to make it go away."

According to EW, Salaam's suit also claims he suffered financial loss, mental anguish, reputational harm, and "the complete derailment of his personal life and career."

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