Kirk Franklin, Katt Williams
‘Lord, Have Mercy!’ Kirk Franklin Reacts To Katt Williams Naming Him In Viral Interview: ‘I Don’t Think Anybody Should Be Silenced’
Kirk Franklin has a message for Katt Williams.
While at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Kirk Franklin shared his thoughts on Katt Williams name-dropping him during an internet-breaking appearance on Club Shay Shay.
“You just shake your head. It’s like, ‘Lord, have mercy!’ because I don’t know where it’s going. But shout out to Katt Williams.”
Asked if he believes Katt Williams “spoke truth” in the sit-down, the Gospel music icon continued,
“I just think that there are so many voices right now that are having the opportunity to speak their journey, their experiences. And I just think that it’s important for everyone to have a platform to tell the truth and their story.”
“I don’t think anybody should be silenced, anybody should be censored. I think that every human being has the right to tell their voice and their story.”
As for the last thing he prayed for, Kirk Franklin simply said it was for “God’s grace.”
During his now-legendary chat with Shannon Sharpe, the comedian described the interview as,
“The other side of Kirk Franklin praying. This is the reckoning, 2024. The reckoning.”
The First Sunday actor was referencing Franklin’s interview with the retired NFL star, which he closed with a prayer for Shannon Sharpe.
Williams’ interview with Sharpe was a game-changer, to say the least. In the three-hour chat, he called out fellow comics like Dave Chappelle, Steve Harvey, and Cedric The Entertainer, accusing the latter of stealing one of his jokes.
Williams told Sharpe that Cedric The Entertainer,
“thought that I was just a no-name comedian, and that he could take this joke and nobody would know. The issue was that I had already done this particular joke on BET’s ComicView twice. It had done so well… that they made it part of the commercial.”
He continued,
“This is not just a random joke, this is my best joke…it’s my closing joke. 1998, I’m doing this joke…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. Two years later, he’s doing that as his last joke on The [Original] Kings Of Comedy and he’s doing it verbatim, he just changed my car into a spaceship.”
Williams said he addressed Cedric and Steve Harvey about them allegedly stealing his joke, and said they apologized. Still, Cedric previously denied the claims and said,
“That joke is over 30 years old, close to 30 something years old. I did The [Original] Kings of Comedy in 1999, probably had been doing that joke six-seven years before that. I don’t even know if Katt was doing comedy then…So again, he a talented brother. I have no idea what he talking about. I’ve never seen Katt do a space shuttle joke.”
Katt Williams, Cedric The Entertainer
He also took to social media following Williams’ chat with Sharpe and wrote,
“Revisionist History, regardless of whatever Katts opinion My career can’t be reduced to One Joke Katt Williams claims as his. I been over 40 movies, my specials and brand speaks volumes for I am. The ppl I have put on including “Katt in the Hat”. At the Gibson Amphitheater”
He added,
“And all that tough talk! Is corny af I’m grown a** man. And none of that sh*t gonna go like you think. You do you and I got this over here..”
What are your thoughts on Kirk Franklin’s response? Tell us in the comments!