Jada Pinkett Smith has been sued for $3 million (£2.3 million) for allegedly threatening her husband Will Smith's former associate.

Bilaal Salaam, who has described himself as "a best friend" of the Oscar-winning actor "for nearly 40 years", has filed a lawsuit against Pinkett Smith in which he alleges that she confronted him at her husband's birthday party at a California cinema in September 2021.

"While in the lobby, Jada Pinkett Smith approached Plaintiff with approximately seven members of her entourage, became verbally aggressive, and threatened Plaintiff by stating that if he continued 'telling her personal business,' he would 'end up missing or catch a bullet,' and demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) 'or else,'" reads the complaint, reports Page Six.

After the alleged encounter, an associate of The Matrix Reloaded star allegedly continued to make "verbal threats" as they followed Salaam to his car.

Elsewhere in the lawsuit, Salaam claims that Pinkett Smith 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.

"Plaintiff refused to perform tasks he believed were illegal, unethical, or morally compromising, stating his conscience would not allow him to be involved in any cover-up or deceptive PR campaign," Salaam's filing continues.

Salaam also alleges 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.

Noting that Pinkett Smith told TMZ she would pursue legal action against him over the claim, the complaint continues, "Defendant never filed a lawsuit. The statement was false, reckless, and made with malicious intent to manipulate public opinion and damage Plaintiff's character."

According to People, Salaam's team claims he has suffered damages like financial loss, reputational harm, emotional drama, physical health issues and "the complete derailment of his personal life and career". He is seeking $3 million in damages.