Culture
Will Smith Accused of Sexual Harassment by Famous Male Violinist
Hollywood actor and musician Will Smith is facing a new legal challenge after professional violinist Brian King Joseph filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.
According to court documents filed on Tuesday, December 30, at the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County, Joseph is suing Smith, 57, and his company, Treyball Studios Management, Inc. The lawsuit claims Smith engaged in inappropriate conduct while Joseph was part of the actor’s global concert tour, Based on a True Story: 2025.
Joseph, a Washington, D.C.-based violinist best known for finishing as a top-three finalist on America’s Got Talent season 13 in 2018, alleges that Smith began “grooming and priming” him for sexual exploitation after inviting him to join the tour in November 2024.
The complaint outlines what it describes as a “traumatic series of events” that allegedly occurred in March 2025 while the tour was in Las Vegas. Joseph claims he returned to his hotel room to find evidence that someone had entered without signs of forced entry.
According to the filing, the items allegedly discovered included a handwritten note that read, “Brian, I’ll be back… just us,” accompanied by a drawn heart and signed “Stone F,” as well as wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, an earring, hospital discharge paperwork belonging to an unknown individual, and a bottle of HIV medication bearing another person’s name.
Joseph alleges that the incident left him fearful that an unknown individual would return to his room to engage in sexual acts with him. After reporting the matter to hotel staff, a local non-emergency police line, and members of Smith’s management team, Joseph claims he was later confronted by a tour management representative who allegedly “shamed” him and informed him that his services were being terminated. The lawsuit further states that another violinist was hired to replace him on the tour.
Will Smith has strongly denied the allegations. In a statement issued on January 1, Smith’s attorney, Allen B. Grodsky, said the claims were “false, baseless, and reckless,” adding that they are “categorically denied” and that Smith intends to pursue all legal avenues to clear his name.
The lawsuit adds to recent legal scrutiny surrounding the Smith family. Earlier in December, a former associate, Bilaal Salaam, also known as Brother Bilaal, filed a separate $3 million lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith, alleging verbal threats. A source close to the family dismissed those claims, describing Salaam as “an opportunistic person out to exploit them.”
Smith’s Based on a True Story tour followed the March 2025 release of his album of the same name and ran from June to September 2025. The case filed by Joseph remains ongoing, and no court date has yet been announced.
Arts and GH Heritage
Where Ghana’s Artistic Past Meets Its Next Generation
Every memorable art gallery begins with someone who believes a painting deserves more than a wall—it deserves an audience.
In Accra, that belief has shaped Berj Art Gallery into one of Ghana’s enduring champions of West African art.
Founded in 1996 by collector Joyce Quarshie, Berj emerged at a time when many Ghanaian artists were still searching for spaces that could connect their work with wider audiences.
More than three decades later, Quarshie’s commitment has grown into a gallery that celebrates both established masters and emerging voices under one roof.

A Living Story of West African Art
Walking through Berj feels less like entering a showroom and more like stepping into a conversation across generations.
Bold paintings share space with finely carved wooden sculptures, bronze works catch the light from different angles, and photographs add contemporary perspectives to centuries-old artistic traditions.
The gallery’s strength lies in that balance. Acclaimed painters stand alongside rising talents, creating a rare opportunity for visitors to see Ghana’s artistic evolution unfolding in real time.
It is a reminder that culture is not frozen in history; it continues to grow with every new brushstroke and every fresh creative voice.
More Than a Gallery
For international visitors exploring Accra, Berj offers something deeper than a sightseeing stop. It opens a window into Ghana’s creative identity, where craftsmanship, storytelling and heritage intersect.
As the gallery continues hosting exhibitions that bring together local and international artistic influences, it reinforces a simple but powerful truth: preserving culture is not only about protecting the past.
It is about creating spaces where the next generation of artists can imagine—and exhibit—the future.
Reels & Social Media Highlights
Medikal in Church and ‘Cheater’ Memes
Ghana’s social media spaces were ablaze on Tuesday, September 7, 2026, as a potent mix of celebrity worship, relationship debates, and viral security concerns captured the nation’s attention.
The digital streets of Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) were anything but quiet, showcasing the country’s unique blend of humour, outrage, and cultural commentary.
@prophetelbernardsfanpage Prophet Bernard Elbernard Nelson-Eshun weeks ago invited Medikal and he showed up at Spiritlife Revival Ministries #prophetbernardelbernard #bernardelbernard #viral #fyp #SpiritlifeRevivalMinistries ♬ original sound – ProphetElbernards_fanpage
One of the most surprising viral moments featured Ghanaian rapper Medikal, whose surprise appearance at Prophet ElBernard’s Spiritlife Revival Ministries sparked widespread discussion.
Dressed sharply and actively participating in worship, the rapper’s presence challenged perceptions about the intersection of secular celebrity and faith, quickly becoming a top-trending conversation.
Meanwhile, a major debate erupted over the Joy Prime podcast ‘Talk Your Shhh‘ after a panellist advised women to pursue married men they considered “good”.
The comments, perceived as promoting infidelity, drew sharp backlash. Celebrities like Efia Odo and Moliy condemned the advice, fueling a fiery debate about morality and media influence.
Adding a lighter, cross-border twist, a new Ghanaian marriage registry app named Marrify went viral—but for an unexpected reason.
The app’s promotional image featured South African actor S’dumo Mtshali, who has become a pan-African meme for infidelity.
Ghanaians and South Africans flooded the timeline with jokes, dubbing him the “Face of Cheaters” as the app allowed users to check marital status.
Concerns over security also trended after a disturbing CCTV clip of a daylight armed robbery circulated widely, sparking outrage and fear.
TRENDING 🇬🇭🚨:
— WithAlvin 🇬🇭 (@withAlvin__) September 7, 2026
CCTV Footage Shows How Robbers Entered a Home, Shot, and Made Off With Valuables
These robbers are getting bolder by the day! I trust the Ghana Police pic.twitter.com/35ZZXfTOpS
The nation’s social mood oscillated between humour and serious debate, reflecting a society deeply engaged with faith, celebrity culture, and pressing social issues.
Arts and GH Heritage
The Stories We Live With: Inside Nubuke Foundation’s Weight of the Ordinary
A family photograph resting on a shelf may look like decoration. A half-finished piece of woven cloth may seem incomplete. A living room may simply be a place to sit.
At Nubuke Foundation in Accra, however, these familiar things are being asked to tell deeper stories.
Weight of the Ordinary, a group exhibition featuring Josiah Tsibu Manu, Priscilla Agbeti, Blanche Boni-Mississo, King David Osabutey (Kakalicka) and Sena Burgundy Appau, turns its attention to the overlooked details of daily life—and finds history hiding there.
Manu’s domestic interiors are particularly evocative. Furniture, photographs and household details become unofficial archives, recalling how Ghanaian homes often carry memories that never enter formal histories.
In Agbeti’s unfinished woven works, meanwhile, labour refuses to disappear behind polished craftsmanship.
The incomplete becomes deliberate, leaving viewers to consider the economic and social histories carried by textiles.

Elsewhere, Boni-Mississo examines how spaces determine who can move freely and who is kept at the margins. Kakalicka draws on Akan cosmology through his Ɔhɔhoɔ, or stranger, connecting questions of displacement and belonging with indigenous ideas.
Appau’s monumental blue figures turn inward, contemplating the uncertainty and possibility of becoming.
Together, the artists suggest that the everyday is not neutral. It is where memory is stored, identities are formed and social boundaries are experienced.
For audiences in Ghana and abroad, the exhibition offers an invitation to look again at what familiarity can conceal. Sometimes, the objects closest to us have the most to say.
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