STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Ms. Pat Settles Into Her Role: From Comedy to Courtroom, She's Still Calling the Shots

From unexpected courtroom moments to hilarious antics, Ms. Pat opens up about her journey, hit sitcom, and upcoming comedy tour.

Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams has been bringing laughter to millions of homes, for the past few years, by way of her award-winning sitcom, “The Ms. Pat Show,” which is loosely autobiographical, and then her newest show, “Ms. Pat Settles It!” which is currently in the middle of its second season. The latter show is reality-based, and it finds Ms. Pat, who is the host, judging real civil suits. Ms. Pat seems like an unlikely candidate for judge, but aside from actual legal certifications, her experience in the streets has taught her how to have good discernment and her unusual life story gave her the chops she needs for the comic relief that also comes with the job. Here, BET.com catches up with Ms. Pat to chat about making it to the mid-second season of “Ms. Pat Settles It,” being personally touched by some of the cases, and her upcoming comedy tour.  

BET.com: Given the backstory of “Ms. Pat Settles It!” I know you pitched the show, and you weren't thinking you were going to be the judge, but then the unexpected happened. So, getting into season two, do you feel more settled in your role as a fake judge, or did it always come naturally? 

Ms. Pat: Gul, I ain’t no fake judge, I’m settling stuff [laughs]! I have settled into the role and I really like it. At first, I didn’t know how this was gonna turn out. I just knew I needed it to be funny and I needed to call on people who understood me, and that’s how the jury came about.  And next thing, I look up, and we’re in our second season. This is TV, so you never know what’s gonna hit and what’s not gonna hit, so I kept an open mind, wished for the best and looked for the worst. That’s just how I was raised, but we in our second season, so I’m still sometimes pinching myself. The same thing with “The Ms. Pat Show,” it’s a cursing mom, and I just knew moms like me hadn’t been on TV, and so we threw it out there, and there’s an audience for it. 

TS Madison, Ray J, and More Join Ms. Pat for Wild Cases on 'Ms. Pat Settles It'

BET: You feel familiar to a lot of people with a Black mama, especially people from the hood. 

MP: I have people coming up to me after my comedy shows like, “Just cuss me out” [laughs].  They feel like I’m a part of their family and people put it on and they feel like they're coming to my household and visiting a cousin and I’m like, well dang, this show makes Black people feel like I could come to their family reunion. 

BET: On one of the last episodes of “Ms. Pat Settles It!” you said you were tired of them sending you people that you wanted to fight. 

MP: Yes. 

BET: So, I'm curious. As executive producer, do you have a hand in who gets chosen for some of the cases? 

MP: No, because I want it to be authentic. When they present me with a case, it's the first time. I don't know anything—and that way, I'm a comic. So, when we see something for the first time, our mind starts to just go all over the place and pick up things, and that's why some of the things that fall out of my mouth, I don't even know I’m gonna say. So, I done told him from day one I don't want to see any of the cases. I don't want to know anything until these people walk through that door. When I say, “Why are you here?” then I know why they're there. 

BET: I gotta ask, are they dead serious? 

MP: They’re dead serious. The people are real. The money is real. I was just telling somebody else, I'd never heard of a liquid BBL. 

BET: I know, that schooled me too! 

MP: And the lady who was supposed to look like Kelly Rowland! 

BET: Oh, that took me out when they showed the photos of what happened. I was just like, where the heck did that pink hair come from? When have we ever seen Kelly Rowland with pink hair and heavy makeup? I know you and the jurors probably have a lot of really fun moments, right? I’m assuming you're filming much longer than what we're seeing on TV. 

MP: Oh, yes, we are. Some of that stuff can’t make it to TV. Not BET or BET Plus, sometimes, we have to break and catch our breath because we’re laughing so hard. And sometimes, we have to stop because people get really emotional. Sometimes, it’s family members going after family members, and I have to come away from behind that jury booth and hug people. So, it gets serious, it gets crazy, and it gets really funny too. 

BET: Sometimes you get really touched, like in a recent episode, you gave somebody $500 for their settlement. Do you ever get follow-ups from people after they were on the show? 

MP: No, well, I tell you this: A lot of people do contact me on social media. I see a lot of them on social media, and they’ll write me saying, “Thank you,” and stuff like that, and then, sometimes, they'll come to my shows, so it's just different. 

BET: That's cool. Now we know this guy's the sky's the limit for you. Is there another profession you would want to try on camera? 

MP: I'm a big DIY person. I just built my home with no contractor, but that's something I really like, and that's what I do when I'm not as busy with TV shows and stand-up comedy. So, I think that's the other thing I want to try my hand with, with a camera in my face. 

BET: Oh, that would be funny, too. But back to “Ms. Pat Settles It,” what have been some of your favorite cases this season thus far? 

MP: I was just telling someone that one of my favorite cases is the one with the two ladies who were in the federal penitentiary. That was fun. That might have been one of my favorite cases this year. 

BET: She did cut up, but you returned it to her. 

MP: Yeah, she was a firecracker. Her friend said, no, she's a rocket launcher. And you talking about things we had to cut out. I had to say, “Hey sit yo ass down, what is on with you!” Because, baby, she came in there on 22, not 10, 22. 

BET: Finally, what else are you working on that you can discuss? 

MP: I'm doing my second “Hot and Flashy” tour. It’s a stand-up comedy tour. It kicks off in Denver on Sept 13, and goes through the fall. So, I'm looking forward to that.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.