We’ve gathered up the receipts for the battle of the burns and declared a winner. This week, Netflix brought two epic live events to viewers’ living rooms as part of the “Netflix is a Joke” festival, and both debuted in the global Netflix Top 10.
The heavily promoted “The Roast of Tom Brady” premiered on May 5 with Kevin Hart as host extraordinaire, though the event at times felt somewhat scripted. Billed as “the greatest roast of all time,” Hart oversaw nearly two dozen famous comedians, athletes, and celebrities (including Kim Kardashian, who got booed) as they took jabs at the former NFL quarterback at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Los Angeles.
This came on the heels of another live show that some thought would fly under the radar, Katt Williams’ live standup comedy special, “Woke Foke,” which debuted on May 4.
The edgy jokester known for unfiltered humor had no special guests or celebrities popping into his set, but he certainly skewered a few. From octogenarian dad Robert De Niro to Jamie Foxx, Donald Trump, Nick Cannon, and Lizzo, no one was spared. Williams even called out “influenceless influencers” and Hollywood’s latest ridiculous weight loss drug, Ozempic.
There’s nothing like a seemingly unhyped, outmatched comedian to make you cheer them on. In the battle of the live comedy specials, Williams’ loose cannon style outperformed Hart, and the numbers tell the story.
“Woke Foke” earned 4 million views worldwide, according to Netflix’s internal measurement for April 29-May 5, nabbing the rank of the No. 4 title. That’s doubled the 2 million views for the Brady roast, though it had the benefit of longer availability, having aired on May 4. The Brady oast had more total viewing time at 6.2 million hours versus 4.1 hours for “Woke Foke,” but its three-hour marathon length might account for that. Williams’ special was much shorter, clocking in at about an hour.
From blockbuster hits like “Jumanji” to his comedy tours, Hart has been dominating the entertainment industry (in addition to dominating Tom Brady). The comedian owns a production company, HartBeat Productions, and even sells a premium tequila brand.
But when it comes to who had the first comedy special, Williams has him beat again. The “Pimp Chronicles” comedian goes back to 2006 with “Katt Williams Live” filmed in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Three years later, Hart crushed it in 2009 with his first live special, “I’m a Grown Little Man.”
As for Netflix comedy specials, it seems the two are tied with three each (though they both have more under their belts going back years). In addition to Netflix’s “Pimp Chronicles,” Williams’ stand-up specials “Great America” (2018) and “World War III” (2022) established his “tell it like it is” style.
Hart played to packed crowds during “Irresponsible” (2019) and “What Now?” (2016) and gets points for innovation with “Zero F–cks Given” (2020), which he hosted in his home with a live audience during the pandemic.
But the deciding factors with any comedy special are the jokes. Williams went hard for one hour on “Woke Foke,” and fans knew to buckle up from the outset when Williams mentioned “Club Shay Shay” in his opener.
“I tried to be incog-Negro but thanks to Shannon Sharpe’s loudmouth ass, the gig is up,” Williams began. “Everybody knows I’ll tell. But I don’t do no snitching! Y’all know my job. In my spare time I infiltrate the Illuminati. Look for their secrets. Run back. Tell y’all. And they’d kill me if they could, but I’m too fast, and the Lord keep blessing me.”
Williams later injected some political commentary into his show, saying society has “lowered the bar” for President Joe Biden. He dragged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “scary” politics and called for reparations.
Since Hart was the Tom Brady “roastmaster” he gave up the stage for most of the three hours to the star-studded panel. Still, he landed some zingers in an eight-minute opening. Referencing Brady’s recent split from ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, which happened after Brady chose to come out of retirement following his Super Bowl LV win, he said, “When you got a chance to go 8-9 and all It will cost you is your wife and your kids … you gotta do what the f–k you gotta do.”
