The Black comedy world continues to herald Katt Williams, applauding not only his gift but also his loyalty and his incredible generosity.
During his controversial interview with Shannon Sharpe, he confirmed the rumors that he helps out some of today’s biggest comedians with wads of cash in their times of need. He also talked about helping people whose stories will never be told, one of which was told by Mo’Nique, one of the comics on his smash “Dark Matters” tour.
She shared on a live video with her manager and husband that Williams’ loyalty has been rumored for years, but she saw it up close when he supported Mo’Nique’s down-on-her-luck former cast mate from her hit sitcom “The Parkers.”
Forty minutes into the conversation and after listing the comedians that she believes are “truthful,” such as Mark Curry, Tommy Davidson, Corey “Zooman” Miller, and Red Grant, she elaborated on Williams’ generosity.
“I want to say this about our brother Katt Williams,” the Oscar-winning actress said. “Through the years, I would always hear things, ‘OK, he won’t show up to the shows,’ ‘He ain’t this. He ain’t that.’ That’s one of the purest cats in this game.”
Mo’Nique that she knew “stories” about him but was reluctant to share them without his permission. Once Williams told her that she could, she talked about how he helped a dying colleague.
“There was a woman named Yvette Wilson, who played Andell on ‘The Parkers,’ and when Andell took ill, it was a man named Katt Williams who just stepped in and took care of that sister until she left this earth.”
In 2012, Yvette Wilson lost her battle with stage 4 cervical cancer and kidney disease.
Best known as Andell Wilkerson on UPN’s “Moesha” and its spinoff, “The Parkers,” and movies “House Party 2,” “House Party 3,” and “Friday,” she met Williams during her run as a stand-up comedian and even starred in the 2005 movie “Ganked” with him and Kel Mitchell.
While many in the public did not know, some have shared the story of how he helped her out financially. A Facebook post published on the 10th anniversary of her untimely demise mentioned how “a friend, Jeffrey Pittle, created a website for people to donate money to help with her medical bills and help with transportation costs.”
The post also claimed that “the website only raised 56% of the $25,000 needed” to help her out and that amount. E! News stated Pittle and fans raised more than $13,000 in donations. A person in the comment section of the post said that Williams stepped in and donated the additional $12,000.
One post on Lipstick Alley also claimed that Williams allowed her to live with him during those last months.
It is not clear if the two were romantic acquaintances or simply good friends. It is also unclear what the relationship between Wilson and Mo’Nique was at the time of her death. The Baltimore native seems to not show up to her co-star’s memorial service.
Friends, fans, celebrities, and relatives attended the service, including Dorien Wilson, Ken Lawson, Brandy and her brother entertainer Ray J, Countess Vaughn, Shar Jackson, and others. The “Almost Christmas” actress was not listed.
Despite being on two hit syndicated sitcoms, Wilson died with very little money and depended on the charity of others.
Meanwhile, Mo’Nique has been making a lot of noise, even before the recent SAG/AFTRA strike, regarding how actors don’t make a living wage and asking the courts to step in and help her secure money she believed is owed her from “The Parkers.”
In 2023, Mo’Nique initiated legal action against Paramount, CBS, and Big Ticket Productions, the company responsible for “The Parkers,” a popular UPN sitcom from the 1990s. Alleging a breach of contract, she sought proper compensation for herself and her co-star, Countess Vaughn.
Mo’Nique asserted that she and Vaughn had been denied their rightful share of profits from the spinoff series “Moesha,” which featured Vaughn alongside singer Brandy Norwood. The lawsuit claimed that the distribution of profits was unfairly structured, resulting in Mo’Nique’s company, Hicks Media, losing out on millions of dollars owed to them under the contract.
In February 2024, the defendants moved to dismiss the lawsuit. They maintained that Mo’Nique had always been treated fairly in their professional relationship and had never raised concerns about late compensation. Furthermore, they highlighted that Mo’Nique and her husband were allowed to conduct their own audit, financed by Hicks Media, without any hindrance, which they did not do.
