Katt Williams

Katt Williams is an American comedian, rapper, actor, and a veritable firebrand every time he takes the stage. His quick wit, manic energy, flamboyant outfits, and unapologetic insights on urban culture earned him comparisons to comic legends like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Dave Chapelle. After making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Williams became a staple on hit television specials including "Def Comedy Jam" (HBO, 1992- ) and "BET's Comicview" (BET, 1992- ). With his signature permed hair and pimp-esque swagger, Williams provided much of the laughter in films like "Friday After Next" (2002) and Eddie Murphy's "Norbit" (2007). Williams took his career to new heights with his sold-out performances - "Katt Williams: The Pimp Chronicles Pt. 1" (HBO, 2006), its 2007 film sequel "Pimp Chronicles Pt. 2," and "Katt Williams: It's Pimpin' Pimpin'" (2008). But like many celebrated comedians who run amuck, Williams could not escape the seedier trappings of fame and fortune, finding himself briefly jailed for alleged weapons possession, missing high-profile gigs, and entering mental health facilities for erratic behavior. But Williams would seemingly rebound with featured roles in comedies like "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" (2010) and with successful live performances like "Katt Williams Pimpadelic" (2009), which reignited his career and proved that there was always a place on stage and in people's hearts for fearless and original comics.

Katt Micah Williams was born on Sept. 2, 1973 in Cincinnati, OH. As a child, Williams loved to read - so much so that his parents banned him from the pastime as punishment when he misbehaved. Academic achievement played a big part in the strict household. At 12, Williams won numerous science competitions which landed him a full scholarship to The National Science Academy in Dayton. However, upon learning about his scholarship, Williams failed a math test on purpose so he would be disqualified from the program - a move the future comic later attributed to simply being a smart alecky kid. To express his creative side, Williams turned to comedy - collecting jokes and combining them with music. He had his first taste of stand-up comedy when he pretended to be one of the performers at a club the then-underage Williams was trying to crash. Without any prior experience and a prepared set, he did a ballsy five-minute improv to an enthusiastic crowd and never looked back.

Williams moved to Los Angeles in 1999 and began refining his brash, street-wise comedic style at the Laugh Factory, The Improv, The Comedy Store, and The Icehouse. Williams gained an even bigger following when he was given his own stage at The Hollywood Park Casino. In the summer of 2001, he received Cedric the Entertainer's Anheiser-Busch "Best Los Angeles Comic Award," a sign that Williams had arrived. He began appearing in several feature films; most notably the comedy "Friday After Next," the third installment in the "Friday" series that starred rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube. In it, he played Money Mike, the neighborhood pimp who is short in stature but has a flashy, hard-to-miss wardrobe. Williams also starred opposite Eddie Murphy in the comedic misfire, "Norbit," as retired pimp, Lord Have Mercy.

By the mid-2000s, Williams was a fixture in many stand-up comedy specials and on hit TV series like "BET's Comicview," "Def Comedy Jam," and "Comic Relief 2006." Williams' edgy take on life, combined with his loud personality, drew sold-out crowds at his live and taped performances, including the top-rated HBO special, "Katt Williams: The Pimp Chronicles Pt. 1," its sequel "Pimp Chronicles Pt. 2," and "Katt Williams: It's Pimpin' Pimpin'," featuring hip-hop stars Snoop Dogg, Da Brat, Lil' Jon and more. Continuing to build his CV, he guest starred on a number of sitcoms like "The Tracy Morgan Show" (NBC, 2003-04), "My Wife and Kids" (ABC, 2001-05) starring Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and provided the voice of "A Pimp Named Slickback" on the animated series "The Boondocks" (Adult Swim, 2005-14). Williams was also the breakout star of MTV's highly-rated show "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out," (2005-07), in which a team of comedians led by host Cannon and a guest celebrity competed in a series of comedy improv games.

Williams' star continued to rise, but life in the fast lane was not all fun and games for the comic. In 2008, he was ousted as the host of the "BET Hip-Hop Awards," which he had previously hosted for the past two years. The comedian claimed he canceled at the last minute because he lost a break-dancing contest to rapper T-Pain (who eventually hosted the event), but insiders claimed that Williams was relieved of his hosting duties after he engaged in an angry face-off with one of the show's producers. Rumors circulated that Williams was very demanding during rehearsals - berating one of the female members of the production team and refusing to come back to set until she apologized. He did not receive the apology, and in a rare show of solidarity against talent, the network executives fully backed up the producer. Williams was also briefly jailed in November 2008 after New York police officers - who pulled over the comedian for driving without a license plate - discovered three guns in his car. The weapons charges were dropped in July 2009 because prosecutors could not prove their case. Immediately following his arrest, Williams checked into a psychiatric facility in South Carolina after he was reportedly seen trying to check into a local motel wearing only a bathrobe and towel around his head, and behaving erratically. His reps immediately released a statement that Williams' grueling touring schedule had left him extremely fatigued, and that he was under a doctor's care.

By late 2008, Williams appeared to have gotten his career back on track. He was one of the voiceover performers on the animated film "Bigg Snoop Dogg Presents: Tha Adventures of the Blue Carpet Treatment" (2008). His 2009 "Katt Williams Pimpadelic" show entertained a sold-out crowd in Washington, D.C. He also gave comedienne and friend Kathy Griffin advice on how to entertainment a predominantly African-American crowd at the Apollo Theater on Bravo's reality show "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" (2005- ). However, Williams found himself in trouble with the law again in 2009 when he was accused of breaking into a record producer's house in Georgia. The producer set the record straight, telling police that Williams was actually a guest at his home. In 2010, he provided the voice of one of the characters in the film "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore;" perhaps a move toward a more grounded, peaceful existence and career reformation for the sometimes troubled star.

But the peace failed to last very long when Williams was arrested in November 2010 for allegedly stealing $3,500 in coins and jewelry from a home while working on a film in Georgia. Though released the following day on bond, he was later charged with burglary and criminal trespass. A little more than six months later, he was arrested in Los Angeles on a count of felony intimidation of a witness when he participated in the assault of a truck driver. Three women allegedly assaulted the driver while Williams blocked his escape with his SUV. Williams was released the same day on $50,000, though the motive for the assault and his participation remained unclear. In November 2012, Williams faced legal problems once again, this time in the form of a $5 million lawsuit filed by a former assistant who alleged that he hit them with a closed fist. Not even a week later, he was arrested in Oakland, CA on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly beating a man with a bottle aboard his tour bus. Following two aborted performances later that month, Williams was arrested in Seattle, WA in December 2012 for an altercation in a bar and again in Dunnigan, CA on a felony warrant for his alleged involvement in a police chase that resulted in nearly hitting five bystanders two weeks prior. Just when his luck could not get any worse, Williams was arrested in late December 2012 for allegedly endangering his four children - who were subsequently placed in protective custody - and again in January 2013 for failure to appear in regards to his police chase two months prior.