Katt Williams Speaks on Cancel Culture in Comedy

Katt Williams went on The Joe Budden Podcast to discuss cancel culture in comedy.

Last week, comedian and actor Katt Williams joined Joe Budden on The Joe Budden Podcast to discuss cancel culture, mainly in different forms of comedy. In recent months, many stand-up comedians have been under fire for comments in their material that were offensive to various groups of people. As a result, the comedy community is at odds over the concept of canceling comedians over their material. In addition, there is a question over whether the effects of cancel culture are harmful.

“Your job as a comedian is to please the most people with your art”

When prompted on the topic of cancel culture, Williams compared it to general laws like speed limits. “Nobody likes the speed limit, but it’s necessary,” he stated. “Nobody likes the shoulder of the road, but it’s there for a reason.”

He added that comedy has not lost its effect despite the added limitations to avoid criticism from the audience.

“The point is, a lot of these people weren’t all that extremely funny back when they could say whatever they wanted to say.”

Williams went on to talk about the need to protect the marginalized groups. Specifically, the groups that do not have a powerful voice. He called on cancel culture as these groups simply defending themselves against comedians who make them the butt of jokes. He denied the existence of cancel culture, instead claiming the idea of a cancel culture “was people without a voice being trashed by people just because they had a bigger name than them, and more money than them, and a better office than them. [comedians] could sweep them up under the rug like they didn’t matter.”

Following Katt William’s statements on the podcast, Joe Budden appeared to agree. Williams successfully outlined the roots of cancel culture. He listed out the meanings behind it and why it was an essential part of comedy. He didn’t suggest that comedians could not make jokes. Instead, Katt Willaims emphasized the need for repercussions against certain jokes.