Katt Williams

Micah "Katt" Williams (born September 2, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Money Mike in Friday After Next, was a recurring guest on Wild 'n Out, portrayed Bobby Shaw in My Wife and Kids, provided the voice of A Pimp Named Slickback in The Boondocks and Seamus in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, and portrayed Lord Have Mercy in Norbit.

Micah Williams was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 2, 1971. He was raised in Dayton, Ohio by Jehovah's Witness parents. He stated that he learned to read at three years old, and was communicating in multiple languages, including French and Creole. During his childhood, he lived in Haiti for a year and a half on religious mission trips with his family.

Williams emancipated himself from his parents at age 13 and moved to Florida. Though homeless and living in a park, he supported himself as a street vendor. He stated that he wanted to remain God's friend.

Since at least 2016, Williams has stated on numerous occasions that he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a minor at the age of 16, attended boot camp, and was subsequently discharged when his age was discovered. However, in a CBS News investigation, the Marine Corps stated that there was no record of Williams having ever served in the military or attended any Marine training facilities.

Williams started performing comedy in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati. He honed his comic delivery by performing his routine in clubs around the country and had become an established comic by 1999, appearing at the likes of The Improv, The Comedy Club, The Ice House, and Hollywood Park Casino. Most notably, he appeared on BET's ComicView as Katt "N da Hatt" Williams. It was later confirmed by Williams that Dr. Seuss sued Williams because of the Katt "n da hatt."

Williams starred in his first comedy special, Let a Playa Play, in 2006. His first HBO stand-up special came in 2006 with The Pimp Chronicles, Pt. 1. In 2007, he co-wrote and starred as himself in the comedy film Katt Williams: American Hustle. The film had critical success and established Williams as a mainstream comedian. In 2008, he released his second HBO comedy special, It's Pimpin' Pimpin'. Keeping busy releasing comedy DVDs and touring, Williams had a comedy tour that was named the best of 2008 by Billboard.

After a four-year hiatus, Williams returned to stand-up in 2012 for his third HBO comedy special, Kattpacalypse. Later that year, he ended up on jail after an incident at a Seattle bar where he reportedly acted threatening and violent, then resisted arrest. The next day, Williams announced the end of his stand-up comedy career. However, three days later, he announced he would not retire.

Two live performances in November 2012 ended early because of Williams' confrontational behavior. A November 1 performance at the Wells Fargo Theatre in Denver ended after he jumped off the stage to confront a heckler. Williams' November 16 performance at the Oracle Arena in Oakland ended after he engaged in a profanity-laced confrontation with a heckler, and was assisted off stage by his own security team.