Just days after calling on fellow comedians to be funnier amidst the ever-so-critical “cancel culture,” Katt Williams is now calling out another funnyman for allegedly stealing his material.
During a recent interview with “The Morning Hustle” with co-host Headkrack, Angie Ange, Lore’l, and Billy Sorrells, Williams was asked how he feels when fellow entertainers either borrow or steal his material and how does he go about addressing the situation.
Williams explained that when it initially happen to him, it was during a show on the “Kings of Comedy” tour in 2000, which featured fellow comedians Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and the late Bernie Mac. The 49-year-old said he was “crushed” for several reasons, including the fact that Cedric was “already bigger and more famous” than him. “He took my closing joke and made it his closing joke on ‘Kings Of Comedy,’” The “Friday After Next” actor claimed.
He continued, “The reason it hit so bad was that I was in the theater. I paid my money to go see Kings Of Comedy, and to see my joke being there and not me was about as disrespectful as it gets in our craft. I really took it really personally with Cedric the Entertainer at that time.”
Williams explained that since then he’s gone on to do almost a dozen comedy specials, and he implied comedians in addition to “The Neighborhood” star have ripped off his work, stating, “You either have to write your own jokes, or you’re telling a variation of my joke, whether you acknowledge it or not.”
Fans weighed in on the topic, expressing that they could see the resemblances in material, including one Instagram user who wrote in the comment section where the interview was shared, “Parking the big ass Caddy was Ced’s closing joke I think…” They added, “Now that I think about it, I can totally hear Katt telling that joke! Damn.”
Another person questioned, “Why if people are naturally funny do they have to steal other people’s jokes?” adding, “If you stoop that low as a comic, you lose credibility with me.”
The actor says he’s since learned to move past it but it’s still saddening. He added, “We have to understand that it either goes one of two ways. Either you are originally creating, or you are borrowing bits and pieces.”
When asked if he and Cedric ever spoke about the alleged stolen joke, Williams said, “I’m not that type of comedian. I’m going in your mouth where the joke is when you steal my jokes, and I have a reputation in this industry that if you steal my joke, you’re gonna be missing a tooth or two.” He added, “I don’t play like that.”
Although Cedric hasn’t yet responded to Williams’ claims, it doesn’t seem like a few stolen jokes did much damage to the star’s craft. Williams expressed that those who routinely steal or have others write their material rarely last long in the industry. Be sure to check out what the comedian had to say in the clip down below.
