Comedian Kevin Hart refuses to let Katt Williams’ explosive interview overshadow the promotion of his latest movie, “Lift.” The Philadelphia funnyman cleverly turned the negative attention he was getting from Shannon Sharpe’s recent “Club Shay Shay” podcast episode into a promotional campaign, directing focus not only to his response to “Mr. Pimp Chronicles” but also to his new film on Netflix.
Hart later explained in a FOX 5 interview with Kevin McCarthy that there is no value in going back and forth with Williams, adding, “You don’t entertain the circus, you watch it.”
The comic-turned-actor/producer explained that when the lion in a circus comes out riding a little bicycle, no one puts a lot of thought into it. Instead, they may say to themselves, “That’s crazy, a lion is riding the bike,” but will swiftly snap back to reality, go to their respective homes, and enjoy the rest of their day.
“I don’t feed into the stuff at all at the end of the day it’s all entertainment to a certain degree,” Hart continued. He said he hopes people have enough sense and “logic” to do their own research.
“I just don’t have the time for it, It’s too much going on,” he added before discussing what went into making the movie premiering on Netflix on Jan. 12.
Strife has existed between the Hart and Williams camps for quite some time. Hart previously suggested that Williams’ decline came from doing drugs in 2018, meanwhile, the “Friday After Next” star said the HartBeat executive is a puppet.
The first record of either of them striking out at the other came in 2014 when Williams claimed on TMZ Sports that Shaquille O’Neal stole Hart from him, noting, “I want my b—h back.” Hart had previously performed for Shaquille O’Neal Presents All-Star Comedy Jam in 2009.
In 2016, while performing a set from his Conspiracy Theory tour, Williams verbally attacked the “Super Pets” actor calling him a “puppet.”
In true Hart fashion, Hart responded with an Instagram post and a subtle shot at the permed Money Mike. The post was a photograph of him, Dave Chapelle, and Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, that same year.
The caption read in part, “True professionals understand the importance of sticking together & supporting one another….at the end of the day we are comedians & there aren’t many that make it to level that we have made it.”
Hart concluded, “The insecure ones will never understand that ‘Support & encouragement.’”
It is the same kind of smartly crafted jab that he made after the “Club Shay Shay” interview dropped. On Jan. 4, Hart tweeted, “Gotta get that anger up outcha champ….It’s honestly sad. In the meantime…. Please enjoy MY MOVIE TRAILER to my next film ‘LIFT’ which will be dropping on @netflix in 8 days!!!!! There is a moment in the trailer where @gugumbatharaw says ‘They Really Love You; ….I now know she’s talking about ‘Katt’ Mark yo calendars world!!!! This one is SPECIAL!!!!”
Gotta get that anger up outcha champ….It’s honestly sad. In the meantime…. Please enjoy MY MOVIE TRAILER to my next film “LIFT” which will be dropping on @netflix in 8 days!!!!! There is a moment in the trailer where @gugumbatharaw says “They Really Love You” ….I now know… pic.twitter.com/vM8PhVoC08
— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) January 4, 2024
Shortly after that, Williams challenged Hart to a $5 million onstage battle in any sport: basketball, rap, boxing, etc.
“Mr. $28 million in Forbes. I’ll be bringing mine in cash, Mitch. Bring yours however you want. And since you, not a puppet, don’t bring no white people with you then,” he said according to HipHopDX.
Within days, Williams appeared on V-103 Atlanta’s “The Big Tigger Show” and apologized for targeting Hart.
“I should have never mentioned Kevin Hart’s name,” Williams said on the radio show. “He is the reigning king of comedy if you ask for popular consensus.”
“The fact that he’s a Black male like me and the fact that I attacked him with such vitriol at a time when our country is already divided in every way it could be divided,” he continued.
But later in 2021, Williams was asked if he would do a Verzuz battle against Hart during a radio interview with Persia Nicole.
“It’s almost cheating for me. I have over 10 specials,” he said. “I don’t have to pick but two jokes from each special and I’ve already deaded anyone whose last name isn’t Pryor anyway. …We don’t wanna add 52 movies, we certainly don’t wanna add 11 specials, we certainly don’t wanna add 49 television appearances, we don’t wanna add an Emmy.”
“It’s almost a battle we can’t really afford to be in,” said the “Atlanta” star. “Because he’s probably on his 16th 100-city tour. So it probably don’t match up the way you think it match up.”
That was short-lived, as proved by the Sharpe interview, Williams is back with the same vitriol for Hart — even hiring his ex-wife, Torrei Hart, to join his Dark Matter comedy tour and cracking jokes on him every chance he gets.
. @KattWilliams on @KevinHart4real
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) January 3, 2024
"For a five year period, every single movie that Kevin Hart did was a movie that had been on my desk." pic.twitter.com/mQTl5f46WX
