Topline
Comedian Katt Williams is dominating social media this week after he called out a long list of other comedians and entertainers—like Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Kevin Hart and P. Diddy—for personal grievances and other criticisms in a nearly three-hour long appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast.
Katt Williams took aim at plenty of entertainers on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast. … [+]
Key Facts
Williams called out Cedric the Entertainer for allegedly plagiarizing a joke he created “verbatim,” which Williams performed during comedy sets and on BET’s “ComicView” in the 1990s.
He also called comedian Kevin Hart an industry “plant,” alleging his success has not been organic because he already had movie deals when he got to Los Angeles and “no one in Hollywood has a memory of a sold-out Kevin Hart show.”
Williams discussed rejecting certain demands in exchange for opportunties, stating in one instance disgraced film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein offered to perform oral sex on him, and in another he rejected sexual favors and turned down a $50 million opportunity to “protect my integrity,” adding he refused to take “shortcuts” to success.
He called out Steve Harvey, alleging he plagiarized the premise of Mark Curry’s sitcom “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper” for “The Steve Harvey Show,” and said Harvey couldn’t be a movie star because he doesn’t have “range” and looks “like Mr. Potato Head.”
Williams said Rickey Smiley was “lying” about Williams’ role in “Friday After Next” originally being intended for him instead, adding he put a clause in his contracts that he would not work with Smiley moving forward “unless he’s in a dress” because “him and Tyler Perry can’t play a man to save their life.”
Chief Critics
Several of Williams’ targets have responded, including Cedric the Entertainer, who wrote in an Instagram comment: “Revisionist History, regardless of whatever Katts opinion My career can’t be reduced to One Joke Katt Williams claims as his.” He criticized Williams for calling him out publicly: “All that tough talk! Is corny af I’m grown ass man. And none of that sh*t gonna go like you think. You do you and I got this over here.” Hart responded in a post on X, calling Williams’ comments “honestly sad” and attaching a trailer to his upcoming movie “Lift.” Smiley said on his radio show Thursday he had “no reason to lie about” the casting for “Friday After Next,” stating “there was no way in the hell I could have executed that role like that and I’m glad that they made that decision.” Smiley said it “makes me sad the way [Williams’ comments] made my kids feel,” but wished Williams “nothing but the best.”
Contra
Williams struck a more sympathetic tone toward several celebrities, including Taraji P. Henson, who went viral in December for an emotional interview on being underpaid in Hollywood. He called Henson’s interview the “saddest thing ever,” stating: “Imagine being one of the very top of your lane to the point where, if they don’t take you for the role, there’s not three Black actresses that they can say are bigger than you.” He also criticized the public for making a spectacle of Kanye West, stating: “I suspect that we’re pretty awful people if we say that somebody got a mental illness and then we watch what they do.”
Big Number
7.8 million. That’s how many views Williams’ appearance on “Club Shay Shay” has as of Thursday afternoon, just one day after being uploaded. The video has more than 50,000 comments.
Further Reading
Katt Williams Slams Cedric the Entertainer for Allegedly Stealing One of His Jokes (The Hollywood Reporter)
Katt Williams Scorches the Earth and Every Comedian on It (Vulture)
Katt Williams accuses Cedric the Entertainer of stealing his ‘best joke’ from the ’90s (USA Today)
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
