On Thursday (March 7), fans were able to check out a new episode of “The Shop,” which saw Nelly, Becky Hammon and Cedric The Entertainer as the latest guests.
via: The Root
Katt Williams had his moment to air out all his grievances on his now infamous “Club Shay Shay” appearance. Now, some of the people he attacked are responding to his claims. Kevin Hart had a positive, generous reply, and it seems Cedric the Entertainer is also taking the high road. Katt accused the “Barbershop” star of stealing his “very best joke.” One that he closed his show with and became known for.
“1998 I’m doing this joke, it’s on ‘ComicView.’ Cedric comes to The Comedy Store. He watches me in the audience, he comes backstage. He tells me what a great job I did and how much he loves the joke,” Williams said on the podcast. “Two years later, he’s doing that as his last joke on the ‘Kings of Comedy’ and he’s doing it verbatim, he’s just changed my car into a spaceship.”
“The Neighborhood” star addresses the controversy during the Season 7 premiere of HBO’s talk show. “The Shop.” In a conversation with co-hosts Maverick Carter and Paul Rivera, as well as guests Nelly and Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, Cedric revealed that he was at home “minding his business” when the interview went viral, leading to his phone suddenly exploding with messages. Once things calmed down, he explained that he felt like Williams conflated stealing a joke with having a similar inspiration.
Nelly calls out Katt Williams for stealing comedian J.B. Smoove's joke, and Cedric the Entertainer addresses Katt Williams claim that he stole his joke.
(? The Shop/Youtube) pic.twitter.com/Udh1sBYnks
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) March 7, 2024
“Comedy is definitely a space where we hear jokes, but for me that was a situation where he was claiming cultural appropriation,” Cedric said. “Driving an old car, rolling down the window, that’s ‘70s. If I ask anybody ‘How you drive your car?’ That’s that. You can’t say my joke about a spaceship is your joke about driving a car because we’re doing the same gestures. That’s my opinion about it.”
“I’ve been around this dude many times, which was my whole point. We never had a personal conversation about that. So why is it this?” he continued. “If we rock with each other and I see you, and you feel that way, then say that to me. That’s what I didn’t really appreciate.”
Cedric’s explanation makes perfect sense. It’s totally understandable that Black comedians are going to find inspiration in well known aspects of their culture. And let’s be honest: the chaotic craziness of that interview doesn’t make Katt seem like the most credible source. But at the end of the day, he got what he wanted out of the podcast. His name jumped back into the headlines, tickets for his comedy tour sold well and he seemed relevant again for a few days. However, Cedric the Entertainer still has a hit series on network TV and Kevin Hart is a billion dollar box office superstar. Seems like they’re doing fine, living their best unbothered lives and are unconcerned with Williams’ special brand of chaos.
