Will Smith, Jada present united front despite explosive lawsuit claims

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are standing together as legal tensions rise around a $3 million lawsuit filed against the actress by former friend Bilaal Salaam.

As People magazine obtained the filing, in which Salaam claims Pinkett Smith threatened him in a hotel lobby in 2021 “by stating that if he continued 'telling her personal business,'” he would “‘end up missing or catch a bullet.’”

An entertainment source told the source that despite the allegations, the couple remains aligned. “Their relationship is still good. They spend time together and time apart,” the insider said, adding that Smith, 57, and Pinkett Smith, 54, “have deep respect for each other and work together as well as sharing a family life.”

According to the source, both stars are busy with their respective projects, yet “they are a committed team in their own way. They have put many years into this.” A film source echoes that sentiment, noting the pair “have a good relationship” and stay focused on entertainment work and business ventures.

Salaam’s lawsuit alleges that on September 25, 2021, Pinkett Smith and “seven members of her entourage” confronted him at the Regency Calabasas Commons during Smith’s private birthday celebration, insisting he sign an NDA and following him to his car “while continuing to issue verbal threats.”

Salaam further claims he faced retaliation after making “viral” allegations in 2023, when he accused Smith of engaging in a sexual act with actor Duane Martin. Pinkett Smith dismissed the story as “nonsense.”

An entertainment source said the couple views the suit “as a money ploy… an opportunistic person out to exploit them.”

Married since 1997, Pinkett Smith revealed in 2023 that she and Smith had been living separate lives for seven years. They share Jaden, 27, and Willow, 25; Smith is also father to Trey, 33.