Jada Pinkett Smith Faces Deposition Fight Over Alleged Threats

A legal battle involving Jada Pinkett Smith is heating up, with a former friend of Will Smith now asking a judge to force her to sit for a full deposition — claiming she is refusing to set a date to be questioned about alleged threats made against him.

Bilaal Salaam, who is suing Jada, filed court documents obtained by TMZ stating that he scheduled a deposition for 20th May — and that Jada simply did not appear. He is now asking a judge to order her to sit for questioning within 30 days.

Salaam claims that after he refused to help Will manage the fallout from the now-infamous 2022 Oscars slap — in which Will walked on stage and struck awards host Chris Rock across the face for a joke about Jada's alopecia — Jada became furious. He alleges she then used third parties to threaten him after learning he was planning to write a memoir that would discuss the Smith family.

Jada has denied the allegations, and has already succeeded in having the majority of the suit dismissed. Her legal team argue that she previously sat for a deposition in a separate but related case brought by Salaam, and that because many of the same issues overlap, any further questioning should be capped at one hour.

Salaam, however, is not satisfied with that offer. He argues that a full deposition is essential to proving his case, and that Jada's testimony could be central to establishing his claims.

The legal drama arrives at a moment when the Smiths have otherwise been quietly rebuilding their public profile together. People reported earlier this week that Jada, 54, moved back into the family home with Will, 57, around two years ago — news that will surprise many, given Jada's revelation in her 2023 memoir Worthy that the pair had been secretly living apart since 2016, despite remaining legally married throughout.

A source close to the couple told People: "They are happy and love each other and are, as ever, committed to supporting each other."

The pair made a joint public appearance last month at Christian Louboutin's Menswear Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week, attending to support their son Jaden, 27, who was showing in his role as creative director. The family outing — which also included daughter Willow, 25, Jada's mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and Will's son Trey Smith, 33 — was the couple's most visible display of unity in years.

Jada has spoken candidly about the road back to one another. After going public with the separation in October 2023, she told the Daily Mail in December of that year that the Oscars slap had, paradoxically, clarified something for her.

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The deposition dispute is expected to return before a judge shortly, with Salaam pushing for a ruling within the next 30 days. Representatives for Jada Pinkett Smith had not returned requests for comment at the time of publication.