Jada Pinkett Smith has asked a California court to order Bilaal Salaam, Will Smith’s former close friend, to undergo a psychiatric evaluation as part of an ongoing legal dispute over allegations of threats, intimidation and emotional distress.

Pinkett Smith’s legal team argues that the examination is necessary because Salaam has claimed that he suffered significant psychological and physical harm as a result of her alleged conduct. The request seeks an independent assessment of the emotional distress he says he experienced.

Photo: X/ @UNWINEWITHTASHA

Salaam, who has described himself as one of Will Smith’s closest friends for nearly 40 years, filed a lawsuit seeking $3 million in damages. He alleges that Pinkett Smith threatened and intimidated him after he refused to help manage the fallout from the 2022 Oscars incident, during which Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock. Salaam has also claimed that tensions arose over his plans to write a memoir discussing private matters involving the Smith family. These allegations have not been established as facts

According to the defence’s account of Salaam’s claims, he says the alleged intimidation had serious consequences for his personal life and health. He claims that he spent 18 months living in four foreign countries because of fear, became separated from his children, lost a long-term romantic relationship and developed high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. He has also attributed approximately 100 pounds of weight gain to stress.

Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Pinkett Smith’s attorneys argue that an independent psychiatric evaluation would help assess the psychological harm Salaam claims to have suffered. The defence has questioned the evidence supporting his reported injuries and wants an opportunity to examine the extent of his alleged emotional distress.

The proposed examination would be conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Christopher R. Thompson at his office on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. According to the court filing described in reports, the assessment could take five to six hours, excluding breaks.

The request follows an earlier court decision that partially granted Pinkett Smith’s anti-SLAPP motion. The California legal procedure allows defendants to challenge certain claims involving protected speech or petitioning activity. Some claims in Salaam’s lawsuit have reportedly been dismissed, while others remain subject to the legal proceedings.

Photo: Instagram/@Jadapinkettsmith

The dispute stems from allegations Salaam has made about his relationship with the Smith family and events surrounding their private lives. Pinkett Smith has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, while Salaam continues to seek damages through the lawsuit.

A psychiatric evaluation would not determine whether Salaam’s allegations against Pinkett Smith are true. Its purpose would be to assess the psychological harm he claims to have experienced. The request places the focus on the evidence needed to support his damages claims as the case continues.

Chris Brown is facing new allegations from his former partner Diamond Brown, who claims the singer has threatened her current boyfriend and his twin brother amid an ongoing legal dispute over their four-year-old daughter, Lovely Symphani Brown.

According to court documents filed in the case, Diamond alleges that Brown becomes “extremely angry” when she dates other men. She claims the alleged behaviour has included threats against men she has dated since their relationship ended more than two years ago.

Photo: Instagram/Diamondbrown

Diamond says her most recent boyfriend and his twin brother have been the targets of death threats, which she alleges were also made through third parties. She claims a similar situation occurred with another man she began dating about two years ago, and that both relationships eventually ended because of what she described as harassment from Brown.

In the filing, Diamond says the alleged behaviour has made her afraid to pursue new relationships. She also claims that she raised the issue with Brown’s attorney through her own lawyer in March and asked that the alleged conduct stop.

Diamond further alleges that Brown recently became angry with her during their daughter’s birthday celebration, an incident she says happened in front of Lovely. She also claims that he attempted to harass her through social media.

Photo: Diabrown/X

Despite the allegations, Diamond says she has not sought a domestic violence restraining order at this stage. According to the documents, she had hoped Brown would agree to stop what she described as frightening behaviour.

The allegations come as Diamond and Brown remain involved in a separate dispute over custody of their daughter. Diamond previously asked the court for primary legal and physical custody of Lovely, with Brown receiving visitation rights. Brown opposed the request and later sought joint legal and physical custody.

Diamond claims Brown has not asked to see Lovely in the past six to seven months. She acknowledges that his work frequently takes him out of town but says he has not requested to see their daughter during that period.

The custody dispute has also included tensions involving Brown’s current partner, Jada Wallace. In February, Diamond accused Brown of interfering with her relationship. Wallace later accused Diamond of preventing Brown from seeing Lovely, while Brown publicly indicated that he did not want to participate in the online dispute.

Child support is another issue before the court. Diamond alleges that Brown earns substantially more than she does and has not provided financial documents needed to determine an appropriate level of support for their daughter. She claims he has stalled discovery efforts and placed her in a difficult financial position.

Photo: Xmag

In the court filing, Diamond says she earns about $1,500 a month and believes Brown’s net worth is approximately $50 million. She says she is not seeking to live at Brown’s level but wants sufficient financial support to meet their daughter’s needs.

Diamond also cited luxury vehicles she says Brown purchased for the mothers of two of his other children. She referenced a pink Porsche for the mother of his youngest son and a black Cadillac Escalade for the mother of his first daughter, which she says were posted on Instagram.

Brown has denied Diamond’s harassment allegations through his legal team. His attorney, according to an email cited in the reporting, asked Diamond’s legal team to provide specific details about the alleged conduct so they could be addressed.

The allegations have not been established in court. The claims remain part of the wider custody and child-support proceedings between Brown and Diamond, with Diamond seeking greater control over their daughter’s care and Brown pursuing joint legal and physical custody.

Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live on October 3 to support her longtime friend Dakota Johnson, who was hosting the show for the third time. Swift joined Johnson during her opening monologue, where the actress joked about her history of dating musicians.

Johnson began by talking about having supportive friends who do not judge her for the musicians she has dated. She then introduced Swift as her “literal therapist,” giving the singer a cue to walk in and as soon as she hit the stage, Swift corrected her by saying “I’m not your therapist, actually. You just show up once a week at my house with an empty bottle of wine and ask if I want some,” she said. “You flop on my couch and overshare and every so often I say ‘Damn, that’s crazy.” She then joked that she sends Johnson home with a security escort.

Photo: Getty Images

Swift’s cameo appearance came less than a week after she debuted the music video for “Patient Zero,” which stars Johnson alongside Colin Farrell, with Cara Delevingne and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford also making appearances. The video premiered at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 27, and Swift later made an X post following the video’s debut.

“I want to thank Dakota and Colin for trusting me with their time, taste, and talent (Giggling with your friend because you’re twinning for an entire shoot was a new and truly delightful experience), and Colin’s turn as a villain is even more impressive when you get to be around him. He’s an absolute light and as kind as they come. Cara, thank you for agreeing to play the lusty other woman. That’s what friends are for?”

Photo: SNL

Johnson also spoke about her friendship with the singer in a September 24 interview, saying that she and Swift have been friends for a long time and are very close. She added that they decided to work together on the video and that the experience was great.

The SNL appearance marked Swift’s first time back on the show since October 2023, when she made a surprise cameo to introduce Ice Spice as the musical guest. Swift has also hosted the show once, in 2009, and has returned several times as a musical guest.

Photo: Instagram/@Taylor Swift

This period has been a busy stretch for Swift. On September 25, she released The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, an expanded edition of her 2025 album with four additional tracks. She also appeared at the MTV VMAs the previous week, where she received the inaugural Artist Director Honors and premiered the “Patient Zero” video.