According to various reports, Katt Williams was underage when he did his first live stand-up comedy routine at a bar. He was well-received by the audience and Williams realized he could make a living doing stand-up. He soon became a regular, performing routinely in clubs across Oklahoma and Oakland. 

By 1999, Williams had become an established comic, appearing on stage at the likes of The Improv, The Comedy Club, The Icehouse, and The Hollywood Park Casino. In no time, Williams became a regular on the BET Network, appearing on shows such as Comic View, Rip the Runway, Black Carpet, and 106th & Park.

In 2002, Williams made his television debut as a guest star on NYPD Blue. That same year, Williams also made his film debut in the stoner comedy Friday After Next playing the role of Money Mike. The film earned him widespread recognition and helped further his acting career.

Williams later followed up with TV roles in The Tracy Morgan Show, My Wife and Kids, and Girlfriends. And in films like Rebound, Norbit, and First Sunday. Williams even earned an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance on the FX show, Atlanta.

Williams has proven himself as a talented actor not only in live-action TV and film roles but also in animated roles as a voice actor. Williams’ most popular voice acting character is probably A Pimp Named Slickback in The Boondocks which he voiced from 2005 to 2008. He also voiced the role of Harry Beaver in the 2007 film titled Epic Movie and as the pigeon, Seamus, in the 2010 film, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. In 2008, Williams even voiced himself in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

Williams’ comedy career hasn’t always been smooth sailing, especially amid high-profile controversies and a few run-ins with the law. The comedian publicly retired from comedy in 2012 after an incident in Seattle landed him in jail. Williams was performing in Seattle when he was allegedly arrested for aggressive behavior at a bar. He was facing charges of assault, harassment, and obstruction and was later released on bond.

“I’m just going to go ahead and announce my retirement from stand-up,” he told a KOMO Seattle news crew in 2012. “I’m kinda done.”

While Williams claimed he was retiring he continued comedy not too long after his arrest.

Comedy and acting aren’t the only things on Williams’ remarkable resume, as he has also tried his hands at rapping. He has rapped on songs for a couple of artists including Baby Bash, The Game, and Suga Free under the name Money Mike. In 2006, Williams signed to Cam’ron’s group the Diplomats as an artist. He recorded an album called It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin’, on which he rapped alongside Lil Wayne, E-40, and Snoop Dogg. Unfortunately, the project was never released commercially. In 2013, together with Hell Rell, Williams released a diss song titled Lames in the Game.

“I’m a hip-hop dude… I can rap,” Williams told XXL in 2006, shortly after signing with the Diplomats. “It’s interesting to me the trouble people have wrapping their minds around it, only because that doesn’t work the other way around. Like, an actor and a comedian doing a music album is kind of difficult for people to fathom. A rapper or a music artist acting is no problem.”