Katt Williams says he’s still the ‘king’ of comedy

theGRIO REPORT - The past few years haven’t been a smooth ride for Katt Williams, needless to say, but this month he’s back with new jokes, a new film, and a new attitude that the drama must be gone...

Courtney Garcia

Apr 6, 2013

Last Comic Standing?

Katt Williams’ departure from the spotlight closely paralleled Kevin Hart’s progression, and undoubtedly, the latter comedian’s ascent remains most triumphant.

Such coincidental timing has led some to suggest that Hart replaced Williams in the pecking order, and more recently, it sparked a heated debate between Hart and Mike Epps on Twitter.

Epps criticized Hart for capitalizing on stereotypes of black men to earn credibility in Hollywood, and later tweeted, “Man if Katt Williams wouldn’t have flipped out it would not be no [sic] Kevin Hart.”

Hart countered the comment with a number of retaliatory tweets, but regardless, Epps managed to vocalize what others had been thinking.

No feud with Kevin Hart

Williams, on the other hand, believes there’s room for all.

“I’ve never had any animosity at all towards Kevin Hart,” he remarks. “Kevin Hart and I could probably be classified as polar opposites, and if we weren’t polar opposites, we’re being played that way. I have no problem with whoever the good guys are; I’m glad the good guys exist. I remember when I was the good guy. I have no problem being the bad guy simply because I’m a good person. I didn’t change so as long as I can be consistent.”

“Comedy needs as many as it can get, not one,” he continues. “It wasn’t supposed to be Richard Pryor or Bill Cosby – you were supposed to be able to have both. It wasn’t supposed to be whether you were an Eddie Murphy fan or a Martin Lawrence fan. Comedy encompasses all of us that are in it. If I am the king, it’s only because the people say so. If the powers that be decide that they would rather have someone else there, that’s all well and good. It is what it is. Sometimes you are trying to prove too many things, and it’s a lot easier if you have nothing to prove other than to yourself. I’ll let comedy be the judge.”

Nevertheless, he insists his seat was never taken, rather temporarily held by a filler.

“In my head, I have continued to be the king regardless of whether I was actively wearing the crown,” Williams remarks. “I feel like whoever had that opportunity that they had, I hoped they would use it to their best advantage. But clearly they didn’t because, again, here we are today.”

Onto the next one: A fresh start

In Scary Movie 5, which opens in theaters April 12, Williams joins the spoof team for another installment of horror’s greatest foil. He plays “a priest and a psychic and a musician,” and describes it as a role in complete contrast to his own personality, forcing him to embrace his acting abilities.

“I didn’t know I was a method actor up until that point,” he jokes. “In my regular life, I’m a great avoider of the supernatural. I am 100 percent African-American in the fact that if I thought that I heard a ghost somewhere, my first thought is to go in the opposite direction. The fact that he would be involved in that world is opposite of who I am.”

Following the premiere of the movie, Williams says he’s “going to celebrate” the good energy, continue with film projects and aims to have a stand-up show ready by the summer. Yes, the pimp will strut again, though the comic stresses it’s a brand, not an identity. Furthermore, it’s a character he separates himself from off the stage, as the father of eight children (seven adopted).

And the Williams clan similarly sticks by their patriarch.

“Family’s always family no matter what the family’s going through,” he explains. “Those things that are at one point difficult are the things that draw the bonds closer.”

Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @CourtGarcia