Will Smith's ex-pal wants him to testify in Jada suit
Bilaal Salaam, labeled will smith8217s expal bilaal in coverage of the dispute, is asking a judge to force Will Smith into a deposition in his $3 million lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith. He alleges she threatened him at Will's September 2021 birthday party. Jada's lawyers say Will is not a party and was never formally served.
Key Takeaways
- Salaam emailed a July 7 request asking a judge to require Will Smith to sit for a deposition in the $3 million case against Jada Pinkett Smith.
- He alleges Jada verbally threatened him at Will's Sept. 25, 2021, birthday gathering at the Regency Calabasas Common and demanded he sign an NDA.
- Jada's counsel says Will is not a party to the litigation, has not been formally subpoenaed, and that nonparty discovery rules must be followed.
- A trial request was denied; the parties have a hearing set for Aug. 19. Jada has called the claims false and attention-seeking.
The latest filing fight keeps this Hollywood legal drama in the headlines for readers who follow celebrity breaking news. According to Page Six, the dispute centers on whether Will Smith can be compelled to testify against his wife.
Why does Bilaal Salaam want Will Smith to testify?
Salaam, who has described himself as Will's "best friend for nearly 40 years," filed the $3 million lawsuit against Jada in late 2025. Legal documents obtained by Page Six show that on July 7 he asked a judge to require the "I Am Legend" star to participate in a deposition.
In the suit, Salaam alleges that on Sept. 25, 2021, at Will's birthday party, Jada approached him with an entourage and "became verbally aggressive, and threatened" him. He claims she warned that if he kept "telling her personal business," he would "end up missing or catch a bullet," and demanded he sign a nondisclosure agreement "or else."
Salaam further alleges the threats continued as he walked to his car. He also claims he faced "a retaliatory campaign" after he did not help with crisis management following Will's slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
How has Jada Pinkett Smith's legal team responded?
Jada's lawyers answered that "there is nothing to meet and confer about" because Will "is not a party to this litigation" and has not formally been served a subpoena. They said that if Salaam wants the deposition, he "must comply with the applicable procedures for obtaining discovery from a nonparty."
Her team has also argued that Salaam, who is representing himself, has not supplied evidence backing his allegations. Attorneys have sought medical records to support his claimed emotional distress and the recorded communications he says involve people present when Jada allegedly threatened him.
In February, Jada denounced the accusations as "false, uncorroborated, and made to generate attention as part of an ongoing public campaign of harassment directed at" her and her family. She said Salaam had a "fixation" on the family and had not named her when the alleged 2021 incident occurred. She has also asked that he cover about $49,000 in her legal fees.
What happens next in the $3 million lawsuit?
Salaam's request to go to trial was denied. He and Jada still have a hearing scheduled for Aug. 19. Page Six reported that representatives for Jada, 54, and Will, 57, were not immediately available for comment.
Until that hearing, the core clash remains clear: Salaam wants Will's sworn account of what happened, while Jada's side insists the actor stays outside the case unless proper nonparty discovery steps are taken.