Katt Williams Clarifies Kevin Hart ‘Verzuz’ Comments, Reflects on ‘Atlanta’ Emmy Win on 'Ebro in the Morning' [Video] | lovebscott.com

Katt Williams Clarifies Kevin Hart ‘Verzuz’ Comments, Reflects on ‘Atlanta’ Emmy Win on ‘Ebro in the Morning’ [Video]

Katt Williams made a stop by Ebro in the Morning and gave a nearly 40-minute interview.

via Complex:

Near the top of the interview, the inimitable comedian reflected on the still-in-progress pandemic before moving on to other issues of note, including his 2018 Emmy win for his acclaimed appearance on an episode of Donald Glover’s Atlanta.

“Do you want to know the hidden, real, amazing gem of it?” Williams said around 16 minutes into the interview. “Why did he win the Emmy, though? He won the Emmy because what that guy was saying is what they’ve been wanting that guy to say. They wanted to see that guy like that. That’s how they wanted to see him in: a dirty wifebeater, in an old robe. And we wanted him to apologize and say I’m sorry. That’s what we would like.”

Asked if this meant he wasn’t fond of the episode, titled “Alligator Man,” Williams noted that this wasn’t what he meant at all.

“I don’t find it gross in any way,” he said. “I’m sorry if I put it out there like that. I didn’t mean it like that. I just understood what it was. … [Donald Glover] told me I was going to win the Emmy before I saw the script to the point where I told him I don’t need to see the script, I’ll just be there. So what I’m saying is, none of it was accidental.”

Adding to that, Williams noted he wasn’t “the impetus” for the win, as the Emmy was already his to lose.

Later, around 22 minutes into the Ebro chat, Williams was asked for his thoughts on so-called “cancel culture,” a topic he previously addressed by comparing the act of being canceled as a necessity not unlike speed limits. This time around, Williams was asked to give advice to younger comedians in connection with this facet of modern life.

“I feel about cancelation the way I feel about expiration,” Williams explained. “I think milk is great until it’s expired. That’s all it was, just to hold people accountable that weren’t being held accountable. In all jobs, there’s some accountability. And part of the money you make is how well you can handle it.” Change, Williams added, “is important.”

About 25 minutes in, Williams got candid about the recent death of fellow comedian Norm Macdonald, saying that he’s been “really blessed” to have gotten to really know “some of the greatest people” in the business. Williams mentioned Prince, John Witherspoon, Charlie Murphy, and other artists who have passed while detailing his take on legacy and life after death.

“Whatever Norm Macdonald received, it was too small,” Williams said. “The news cycle is too quick. He gets a day for his flowers like every other news story. Do you wish that Paul Mooney had gotten a portion of that? You do but you understand that it’s all relative. None of us are going to die a sexy a death. … Most people will die and not be remembered in their field, their neighborhood, and their lane.”

Closer to the 29-minute mark, a recently hot topic—that of the possibility of a Verzuz with Kevin Hart—was broached. According to Williams, his recently reported comments about a hypothetical Verzuz (namely that it would be “almost cheating” for him) were taken out of context.

The comments, he said, are more of a commentary on the format of the battle series and how that format would or wouldn’t serve the stand-up comedy medium. After an involved mini-discussion on the ins and outs of this with the Ebro hosts, including Williams’ delivery of the immediately-met-with-laughter line “If you hear anything I say that don’t make sense, just assume it’s a fact,” Williams was again asked directly about the aforementioned Verzuz comments.

“I’m saying unfair for comedians, not because I’m better … I’m saying it because I have commercially put out more opportunities than they have,” Williams said a little over 34 minutes into the interview. 

Diving further into the basis of the Verzuz format, and how one’s previously accumulated material is what really counts, Williams continued:

“Verzuz has to be a joke you already told that they already know and for the guy that has 10 specials, that’s not fair,” he said. “For the guy with 50 movies, is that fair that the guy can do six clips from movies and two jokes from each of his top 5 specials?”

Put another way, Williams detailed, he’s simply “the worst fit for” the Verzuz format. That said, he’s “honored” to be mentioned in hypothetical scenarios.

Watch the interview in full below.

 

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