Dave Chappelle and Katt Williams rank among the most talented standup comedians of African-American extraction. They both became comedic giants after pulling off their breakthroughs in the 90s and dabbling in acting. Their stories have since diverged, with Chappelle on top as the most accomplished of the two. Despite several outcries to have him canceled for his controversial routines, the Washington, D.C. native has remained relevant in the industry; the same can’t be said about Katt Williams.
Since the mid-2000s, Williams has been involved in a series of controversial and legal issues that have effectively derailed his career — although he insists the powers that be have been after him for refusing to sell his soul. Following several arrests in 2012, the Cincinnati, Ohio native announced his retirement from standup comedy. He abandoned the decision three days later but hasn’t been able to re-establish himself. Chappelle and Williams have had mutual respect, but that has seemingly changed.
Are Dave Chappelle And Katt Williams Feuding?
While Dave Chappelle and Katt Williams have never been friends, they had been quite cordial towards each other. The latter admitted years ago in one of his interviews that Chappelle is funnier than him. He’s also cited Chappelle’s contractual dispute with ViacomCBS as an example of how industry executives victimize performers with smear campaigns to bend them to their whims. Before Williams’ controversial interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast in January 2024, the only known feud between Dave Chappelle and Kate Williams was an online quarrel between two people posing as the comedians on Twitter, now called X.
Chappelle discussed the fake beef during a 2014 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He had taken to keeping up with a fake but hilarious account with his name and picture on Twitter when the user behind it started attacking celebrities. The fake Dave Chappelle account eventually started a feud with Katt Williams on the platform. And “Katt Williams start saying things to this fake Dave Chappelle that’s hurting the real Dave Chappelle’s feelings,” narrated the comedian. To prevent the feud from escalating, Chappelle approached Williams to inform him the Twitter account was fake, only to learn the Katt Williams account was fake as well.
Did Katt Williams Shade Dave Chappelle In His Club Shay Shay Interview?
Kate Williams’ controversial interview is the reason behind the perceived feud brewing between him and Dave Chappelle. In a January 2024 appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Williams went after multiple celebrities, from Kevin Hart to Steve Harvey, Michael Blackson, Cedric the Entertainer, and Rickey Smiley. He also made inflammatory claims about Ludacris, Ice Cube, Diddy, Tyler Perry, Trick Daddy, and Tiffany Haddish.
Among other things, he alleged that some of these celebs joined the Illuminati, selling their souls in exchange for lucrative careers. Dave Chappelle was one of the celebrities Kate Williams spared in his excoriate against what he regards as the forces of darkness in Hollywood. This didn’t stop Chappelle from rebuking Williams, which is expected to ignite a real feud between the standup comics.
What Did Dave Chappelle Say About Katt Williams?
Dave Chappelle reacted to Katt Williams’ interview while performing on stage for MONDERAYS with DeRay Davis at the Hollywood Improv comedy club. He acknowledged that Williams was hurt but nudged the comedian to take some responsibility. “Hurt people hurt people, but I am a hurt person that never hurt people,” Chappelle said, “…Ni**a, I didn’t hear anything you did wrong. …Katt was talking about shit that ni**as did to other ni**as, but not about anything that ni**as did to him.”
Proclaiming his love for Williams, Chappelle wondered why the comedian went after only African-American performers. “I’m at war with the Illuminati too, but what part of the war is ethering Cedric the Entertainer? …What part of the game is this? He only ethered n**as. He didn’t say anything about any of these white boys. None of these white boys function like that. Katt is one of the best painters in the game. Why (are) you drawing all ugly pictures of us? Stop,” he urged. Dave Chappelle’s routine included an impersonation of his colleague’s high-pitched voice and a rebuttal of Katt Williams’ claim about his reading abilities.
“I love everybody, but I love Katt Williams more than a lot of people, and that ni**a is wild. …This ni**a comes out and says I read 3,000 books by the time I was seven years old. What the f**k are you talking about?” Chappelle inquired. By and large, Dave Chappelle and Katt Williams are unlikely to start feuding because of what Chappelle said. At worst, his comments were a sincere entreat for Williams to stop coming after his colleagues. Check out six things you didn’t know about Katt Williams.
Check out Katt Williams’ full interview on Club Shay Shay below: