Katt Williams is pulling back the curtain on the strategy behind his unforgettable appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s YouTube series Club Shay Shay.
In a candid new interview with GQ, Williams opened up about the intentionality behind the explosive interview.
When asked why he chose to give Sharpe such a high-profile interview, Williams explained, “Shannon is in the rare position where people aren’t sure where his allegiance lies.”
He continued, “People aren’t sure if Shannon been bought and paid for. Is he in the pocket, ’cause these n-ggas paying him, or is he really just a regular?” In his view, Sharpe’s ambiguity created a unique opportunity. “There’s so many questions that it gives me the opportunity to allow this Black man to show his true colors, while I show mine.” For Williams, Sharpe represented the exact kind of fan he wanted to reach.
During his appearance at Vulture Festival, Williams revealed that he had cracked the social media algorithm before his Club Shay Shay interview and intended to use it to his advantage.
“I [set] out to kill the careers of the people I was talking about,” he confessed. “But it was so vicious that I erased all of the knockout blows and just left the jabs, so that the comic I’m talking about knows, ‘I know your real story, motherf—kers.’ Ima tell this, but you know what else I know.”
As viewers of the 3-hour-long interview may recall, Williams didn’t hold back, dishing out sharp critiques of fellow comedians, including Kevin Hart, Steve Harvey, and others.
Since the interview went viral, Williams has continued to stay in the public eye. He recently appeared in the Netflix comedy special “Woke Foke” and is set to embark on his Katt Williams: Heaven on Earth Tour, which kicks off in January 2025.
In addition to his comedy career, Williams has shared plans to expand his empire. He recently purchased a former military base in Alabama, where he intends to build his own movie studio. Drawing inspiration from production giants like Donald Glover, 50 Cent, and Tyler Perry, Williams expressed, “It’s just not fair to put all that pressure on Tyler Perry. He can only do so much.”
By Tabie Germain/BET.com
