A few days into 2024, Katt Williams became the top trending name on social media. Although the stand-up comedian and actor has had his fair share of controversies and beefs, his revelations on the Shannon Sharpe-hosted Club Shay Shay podcast almost broke the internet. Without skipping a beat, Williams took swipes at some of the biggest names in entertainment.
While he has received a few replies, Katt Williams’ revelations have left audiences divided on what’s the truth and what’s not. However, Williams’ statement that he is “I’m one of the richest people that ever lived” was the highlight of the podcast. Despite his immediate clarification of equating riches with blessings and contentment, it left many wondering about the stand-up comedian’s real net worth. Here’s more on Katt Williams’ life, career, and net worth.
Katt Williams’ Early Years
Fans and followers of the stand-up comic and actor know he’s never shy of speaking about his background. Although he wasn’t born into poverty, he was homeless at 13 after choosing to emancipate himself from his parents. Williams was born Micah Williams in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 2, 1971, to Christian Jehovah’s Witness parents. His parents occasionally went on mission trips, bringing the young Williams. In one of the trips, Katt Williams spent almost 2 years in Haiti before returning to the United States.
Looking past the surface, Katt Williams has long proved to be more than a comic but a smart, intelligent man. Williams claimed he was already multilingual at age 3 and began reading books when he was 8. On the Club Shay Shay podcast, Williams stated he read about 3,000 books yearly from when he was 8 to 12 years old. While this brings his daily book-read count to 8, an unbelievable number for anyone, let alone a child, audiences are forced to believe his revelation at face value. He chose to leave his parents when he was 13 because he wanted to live a life outside the confines of the Jehovah’s Witness faith. Moving to Florida and being homeless, Katt Williams had to support himself as a street vendor. Williams later moved back to Cincinnati to begin his career as a stand-up comedian.
Katt Williams’ Stand-up Comedy Career
Katt Williams grew his stand-up comedy career in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati. However, his rise to fame took the comic over a decade to become an established comedian. At 30, Katt Williams was a known stand-up comic who performed in popular comedy clubs like The Improv, Hollywood Park Casino, The Comedy Club, and The Ice House. Although he first starred in his first comedy special, Let a Playa Play, in 2006, that same year, he landed his first comedy special contract. Williams’ first comedy special was with HBO, titled Katt Williams: The Pimp Chronicles Pt. 1 (2006). That same year, he did his second comedy special, Katt Williams Live (2006), filmed in his hometown in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since his first comedy special, Katt Williams has done 12 comedy specials from 2006 to 2022. Impressively, this is more than the comedy specials some of his contemporaries have done.
Katt Williams’ Acting Career
Katt Williams is also no stranger to film and television audiences. Williams made his acting debut on the big screen in the Ice Cube-written screenplay stoner comedy film Friday After Next (2002). According to Katt Williams on the Club Shay Shay podcast, he auditioned as number 201, beating at least 200 comedians to land the role of Money Mike. Although only a supporting character, Williams’ portrayal of a pimp, the owner of the fictional Pimps and Hoes shop, shot the comic into the Hollywood spotlight. Williams also debuted on television as a guest character, Martel Cates, in the “Maya Con Dios” episode of NYPD Blue.
Over the next couple of years, Katt Williams continued to star in several popular film and television projects. However, his unique portrayal of his roles often made his characters memorable. He played Preacher Don’s Sidekick in the Martin Lawrence-led sports comedy Rebound (2005), Lord Have Mercy in the Eddie Murphy-led romantic comedy Norbit (2007), and Delicious in The Perfect Holiday (2007). Williams also starred in films like Scary Movie 5 (2013), Father Figures (2017), and The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2 (2021).
On television, he played Freddie on The Tracy Morgan Show (2003–2004) and Bobby Shaw in My Wife and Kids (2004–2005). He voiced A Pimp Named Slickback on Adult Swim’s animated sitcom The Boondocks (2005–2008) and guest-starred in Girlfriends (2005), Black-ish (2019), The Last O.G. (2020), and Atlanta (2022). A close friend of Nick Cannon, Katt Williams was part of the main cast of Cannon’s Wild ‘n Out from seasons 1 to 4 (2005–2007).
Katt Williams’ Net Worth
Whatever the controversy surrounding his net worth, Katt Williams is one of the funniest stand-up comedians alive. Before his podcast interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, Katt Williams was reported to have a net worth of $2 million on Celebrity Net Worth. However, after Katt Williams claimed to have been “wearing his net worth” at one time and that he made almost $10 million from his last Netflix deal, Williams led many to believe he had been falsely evaluated. Replying to his comments post-Club Shay Shay interview, Celebrity Net Worth adjusted Williams’ net worth as $5 million while explaining/defending how they arrived at their estimate. With the sudden change of his net worth and with a yet-to-be-refuted claim by Netflix about Williams’ last deal, it’s safe to put Katt Williams’ net worth to be at least $5 million.
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