Will Smith and Duane Martin are hogging headlines after they were mentioned by the Pursuit of Happyness actor’s supposed best friend, Brother Bilaal, in a podcast hosted by Tasha K

Brother Bilaal claimed to be Will Smith’s close friend and former assistant when he went on a podcast and sparked a frenzy about Will Smith’s sexuality

Will Smith and Duane Martin rumours about their relationship as more than friends revealed homophobia that still runs rampant in our society

Who is Brother Bilaal?

Aside from the podcast episode with Tasha K, there are no other reliable reports of Bilaal as Will Smith’s best friend or personal assistant. After the explosive interview, social media exploded with speculation about Brother Bilaal’s statement.

Social media platforms such as Twitter were buzzing as people shared their comments about Will Smith and Duane Martin.

Bother Bilaal “exposes” Will Smith and Duane Martin

The snippet of Tasha K’s interview that is going viral is of Will Smith‘s alleged best friend, Brother Bilaal, making unconfirmed statements about Will Smith’s sexuality. Bilaal claimed the Hollywood actor, Will Smith had sexual relations with Duane Martin, and he witnessed it.

Brother Bilaal’s comments sent shockwaves on social media. Many netizens, similar to presenter Tasha K’s reaction, expressed they were very disturbed, mainly due to “heterosexism. Clinical psychologist Dr Aaron for the New York Post describes heterosexism as one of the most common microaggressions. He said:

It is the assumption that heterosexual relationships are the ‘norm’.

Will Smith’s sexuality constantly questioned

Fans of Will Smith criticised netizens for fussing about someone’s sexuality when it was personal. Some argue that even if it were true, it would be an exposé only simply because Duane Martin is a man.

Will Smith is under the public’s scrutiny because he is married with two children. The actor’s happy-go-lucky character has been judged as soft. Will Smith appeared in Season 4, episode 2 of David Letterman’s Late Show with David Letterman. In the interview, Will admitted that he hated being called “soft” because he never used profanities in his rap songs.

Will Smith often gets subjected to the pressure many straight men face. Any deviation from typically aggressive masculine behaviour is assumed to be “gay”. Adding insult to injury, some netizens have resorted to labelling Will a “simp” and “not an alpha” after his wife opened up about their marriage trouble.

Netizens have regarded the latest rumours about Will Smith and Duane Martin as a moment proving the truth about his sexuality. The idea is that his cheerful character and his devotion to his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, are indicative that he “was gay all along.” Some users on X (Twitter) have called out the homophobic undertones in netizens’ reactions.

Poking and prodding about someone’s sexuality is never okay. Complex reported that Will Smith is considering taking legal action against Brother Bilaal.

This is a developing story. ClickHub has contacted legal experts to explore what grounds Will Smith could hold Brother Bilaal accountable legally.

Will Smith is a public figure, and many feel entitled to know the ins and outs of his life. Where do you think celebrities should draw the line when being open about their private lives?