Katt Williams

Background

Micah “Katt” Williams was born on September 2, 1971, in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. At the age of 13, he moved out of his parents’ place, traveled to Florida, and supported himself as a street seller. Williams began performing stand-up comedy in Avondale, Cincinnati. From Oklahoma to Oakland, he developed his comic delivery by performing his routine in venues around the country. By 1999, Williams had established himself as a stand-up comedian, performing at venues such as The Improv, The Comedy Club, The Ice House, and The Hollywood Park Casino. Williams is most known for his role as Katt “In the Hat” Williams on BET’s “Comic View.”

His first acting role was in “NYPD Blue” in 2002. He rose to fame after appearing on “Wild ‘n Out” for numerous seasons. In 2003, he starred in the official music video for his “Wild ‘n Out” bandmate Nick Cannon’s hit single ‘Gigolo.’ In the 2007 film “The Boondocks,” he played a pimp named Slickback. In “Grand Theft Auto IV,” he plays himself as a stand-up comedian who does different routines, including an abridged version of one of his routines from “Katt Williams: American Hustle.” He has appeared in several episodes of “My Wife and Kids.” Williams was the roastmaster of Flavor Flav’s “Comedy Central Roast.” He has also featured in supporting roles in films like “First Sunday” and “Norbit,” but is best known for his role as Money Mike in “Friday After Next.” In 2018, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series’ for his role as Willy in the season two premiere of “Atlanta.”

In 2006, Williams starred in “Katt Williams: Live: Let a Playa Play,” his first comedy spectacular. “The Pimp Chronicles, Pt. 1,” his second and first HBO stand-up special, was released in 2006. Williams was given a movie/standup comedy project in 2007, which he termed “American Hustle.” The film was a critical hit, and it helped Williams establish himself as a mainstream comic. Williams’ second HBO comedy special, “It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin’,” was released in 2008, and featured Williams doing more political standup. Williams kept busy by creating comedy DVDs and performing, and his 2008 comedy tour was rated the best of the year by Billboard. After a four-year break, Williams returned to stand-up comedy in 2012 with “Kattpacalypse,” his third HBO comedy special. He also made a comeback on August 16, 2014, with a new HBO special titled “Katt Williams: Priceless: Afterlife”. Katt Williams’ new Netflix stand-up special, “Great America,” was shot in Jacksonville, Florida in 2018.