Who is Duane Martin and how close was he to Will Smith?

A storm brewed on the internet when Will Smith's ex-close aide claimed to have previously caught the star in an intimate encounter with his close friend and co-star Duane Martin.

Calling the allegations "fabricated," the Oscar winner staunchly denied them and further hinted at taking legal action.

Meanwhile, the 58-year-old remained mum on the controversy as of now. Notably, the duo were married at the time of the alleged encounter.

The controversy stemmed from Brother Bilaal dropping an allegation bomb on Unwind with Tasha K, where he alleged finding the Aladdin actor in bed with his friend.

The ex-assistant was also part of the embattled star's friend circles, but differences grew between them in later years.

Who is Duane Martin?

On August 11, 1965, Duana was born in Brooklyn, New York. Following his New York University graduation, he formally entered basketball after playing in NCAA Division III.

The New York Nicks enlisted the talents of the young rookie as an undrafted free agent in the NBA in 1989.

Surprisingly, the 5ft8 never played a match and later was cut off from the league.

Duane Acting Career

After the NBA exit, fate had other plans for Duane; he tried to dabble in the showbiz world. For a debut, he started with a sitcom called Out All Night at NBC.

Afterward, he also appeared in several sitcom roles, culminating in bagging All of Us, where he played the popular Robert James character.

Other appearances of the star included Real Husbands of Hollywood, Getting Personal, and movies such as Above The Rim, The Inkwell, Scream 2, The Faculty, and Any Given Sunday.

How close Duane and Will are?

In the 90s, the pair shared the screen for Fresh Prince of Bel Air. On the show, Will and Duane's bromance become prominent in Hollywood.

Apart from acting, the duo also had financial interests in common as they worked jointly at a film distribution company, The Momentum Experience.