Will Smith's former friend Bilaal Salaam wants the star's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith to sit for a deposition in his ongoing lawsuit against her.
Salaam, who has described himself as "a best friend" of the Oscar-winning actor "for nearly 40 years", filed a lawsuit against the actress in November 2025 in which he alleged that she confronted him at Smith's birthday party in September 2021.
He claimed that The Matrix Revolutions star and members of her entourage were "verbally aggressive" and she allegedly told him he would "end up missing or catch a bullet" if he continued "telling her personal business".
In new court documents obtained by TMZ, Salaam has asked a judge to order Pinkett-Smith to appear for a deposition, where she will be required to answer questions about the case under oath, within 30 days.
He allegedly scheduled a deposition for 20 May, but the actress did not appear, and she is now allegedly refusing to set a new date.
According to the outlet, his submission includes a letter from Pinkett-Smith's representatives, who argue that she already sat for a deposition over a separate legal action filed by Salaam. As a result, they believe another full deposition is not warranted and that additional questioning should be limited to an hour.
A judge has yet to rule on the filing.
Pinkett-Smith denied the allegations and filed a motion to dismiss Salaam's lawsuit in February. She was successful in getting the bulk of the $3 million (£2.2 million) lawsuit thrown out.
In his original complaint, Salaam, also known as Brother Bilaal, claimed that the Girls Trip star and her team launched "a retaliatory campaign" against him after he refused to help with crisis management after Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March 2022.
Salaam also alleged that he faced further threats after the Smiths learned he was writing a "whistleblower memoir" about his time with them, and after he made sensational allegations about the Men in Black star and his sex life in a 2023 interview.
In her motion to dismiss, her team claimed the "false" allegations were part of Salaam's alleged "campaign of harassment" against the Smiths.
Pinkett-Smith has been separated from the Independence Day actor since 2016, but they are still legally married.
