4 Bombshells From Katt Williams' 'Club Shay Shay' Interview That We're Still Scratching Our Heads About
Katt Williams has never been the type to shy away from the camera or keeping it real. During his latest interview on "Club Shay Shay" –released on Jan. 3– with NFL star turned podcast host Shannon Sharpe, the comedian came locked and loaded, ready to spill the tea behind some of Hollywood's most beloved movies and celebrities.
As acclaimed as this Emmy award-winning actor and comedian is, having one-on-one interviews is not at the top of his list. Still, according to Williams, going on CSS was "a safe place for the truth to be told."
While some might find his revelations far-fetched, others might ascribe them to be on the money, or downright boisterous.
Regardless, Williams spoke, we watched, and so did nearly 6 million others since it dropped.
Here are four of the most startling statements Williams alleged during the rowdy episode:
1. He claimed responsibility for removing a rape scene from "Friday After Next."
For Williams, seeing a Black man being portrayed as a sexual assault victim for laughs is a no-go. Therefore, he alleges he petitioned to remove that scene from the 2002 film that stars Ice Cube, Mike Epps, and the late John Witherspoon.
"The truth of the matter is the Money Mike in the original script got raped in the bathroom," Willams said. After that, he got into a campaign "to take the risk in front of the studios and the cast and the powers that be" to ask for the scene to be "respectfully" removed.
"Rape is never funny no matter who it happens to or what the circumstances are."
"If you would allow me, to allow us to do this movie without a Black man getting raped in it, I promise you that it will be twice as funny as it would be without him getting raped," he recalled during his plea for the scene to be taken out.
2. He said Rickey Smiley wanted their roles in "Friday After Next" to be swapped.
"We auditioned in Los Angeles. I was number 201," he recalled of the casting process for the movie. "200 Black comedians auditioned for the role of Money Mike with me. You're saying all 200 and one of us was auditioning and you had already had the role and had already shot the role in four days?"
On Thursday's episode of "The Rickey Smiley Morning Show," the eponymous host set the record straight against Williams' allegations.
"I went out to audition for "Friday After Next" as Money Mike not the Santa Claus and that is the honest God truth." Additionally, Smiley appeared on Sharpe's podcast last year when he discussed how he got the role in the movie. "I had no reason to go on and lie."
Still, Smiley is not trying to come for Williams. He believes the role of Money Mike was enriched by Williams when he added a "pimp twist" during his audition.
After that, Smiley said he was cast as the Santa Claus "and the rest is history."
“There was no way in the hell I could have executed that role [Money Mike] like that and I’m glad that they made that decision.”
Smiley's manager at the time, Garrett Abdo, corroborated his recollection of the audition process during the morning show's episode, assuring he originally auditioned as Money Mike.
"We really were under the impression [that] you had the role as Money Mike, but then all of a sudden they switched it up. Now we understand why. Katt came in [and] blew them away. He's an incredible performer. That was probably one of the most iconic breakout parts in movie history."
3. He alleged Cedric the Entertainer stole his joke.
"He thought I was just a no-name comedian and he could take this joke and nobody would know," explained Williams. "The issue was that I had already done this particular joke on BET's "Comic View" twice. The joke ultimately landed in a commercial on the network.
In 1998, it was originally curated and performed by Williams at The Comedy Store where he said Cedric the Entertainer attended. "He comes backstage [and] tells me what a great job I did and how much he loves the joke. Two years later, he's doing that as his last joke on the "Kings of Comedy," and he's doing it verbatim. He's just changed my my car into a spaceship."
But when "The Neighborhood" star was on an episode of Sharpe's podcast in 2022, he shut down Williams' claims of joke nabbing. "It was ridiculous," he said of the accusations. "The joke he was talking about don't even match up with no timeline." He went on to say that he has "seen him 30 times," but Williams has never brought these allegations to his attention. "That don't even make sense. This is this is some internet s - - t."
Still, Cedric the Entertainer said he has tried to connect with Williams, but to no avail.
"When I responded to him, he didn't respond back to me and I left it at that."
4. He accused Steve Harvey of pocketing his homeless narrative to become famous.
When Williams was 12-years-old, he left his family's home in Dayton, OH., and hitchhiked on the back of a truck to Miami, FL., where he became homeless. Steve Harvey has also been exceptionally candid about his humble beginnings when he lived in his car. But as Williams puts it, Harvey's struggle story is nothing more than cap.
"Steve Harvey telling people he used to be homeless- That's my story. That's not his story."
He continued, "Steve Harvey was never homeless. Mark Curry was touring with him 25 years ago, he was making $3,000 a show in cash and doing five shows a week."
Harvey has yet to respond to Williams’ allegations.