Comedian Katt Williams often brags about passing Marine boot camp. The Marines say they have no record of it.
Los Angeles — Katt Williams, the Emmy Award-winning stand-up comedian, has claimed for years that he joined the U.S. Marine Corps as a teenager and successfully passed the rigorous training, but when he When his superiors discovered his incompetence, he was kicked out of the army. Minors. The Marines told CBS News they had no record of him.
Dating back to at least 2016, Williams has claimed ties to the U.S. Marine Corps while discussing his biography in vlogs, talk shows and interviews seen and heard by tens of millions of people. His claim that military service seemed unrelated to any of the well-received jokes or characters he created for stage and screen was part of his journey toward comedy.
The Marine Corps told CBS News there is no record of Williams enlisting or attending any Marine Corps boot camp.
We sent multiple emails and phone calls to Williams’ publicist, Amy Sisoev, and her representatives at Creative Artists Agency, but received no response for nearly two weeks.
Earlier this year, Williams sat down for a nearly three-hour interview with ESPN’s “First Take” reporter Shannon Sharpe on his podcast “Club Shay Shay.”“. The interview has set up At the time of publication, it has been viewed more than 83 million times on YouTube, making it the most viewed interview in YouTube history.
Sharp, a former Denver Broncos player and former NFL analyst for CBS Sports, asked Williams about growing up in Florida.
“I tried to join the Marines but they wouldn’t accept me because I was too young and I lied and told them I was 16 and my family was moving down and I didn’t have an ID but that’s why they (Navy) team) asked me to go to boot camp,” Williams said.
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Likewise, comedian Marc Maron’s podcast Last year, Williams said, “Then I tried to join the Marine Corps and I went to boot camp and I passed and then they revealed that I was too young and they gave me a little ceremony because I did pass, you know , Yes – Rach“.
He added: “I’m not even 16. I’m not even 16. I’ve – I miscalculated. I thought you know, when I come back I’ll be good, but I don’t have boot camp By the end of the camp, I was 16 years old.”
Malone, his “WTF” podcast Ghana More than 55 million listeners annually ask Williams if he passed boot camp and his rituals.
Williams reiterated that he made it through boot camp, saying: “When you come back, everyone goes through the ceremony, and I was supposed to go through it and probably be put in a brig or a court-martial or something, but they Didn’t treat me like that… As far as the Marine Corps thing goes, whatever those ads sold, you remember those ads from back then… If you wanted to join a gang, the Marine Corps was the one to join gang.”
Saturday, CBS News Attend At the Vulture Festival in Los Angeles, Williams was interviewed about his life and career by Jesse David Fox, Vulture writer and host of “The Good Guys: A Podcast About Jokes.” Williams will launch his multi-state “Heaven on Earth” tour next year.
While Williams didn’t discuss his brief service in the Marines, the comedian said “thank God I tell the truth” when Fox asked about his past comments in interviews.
CBS News filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records related to Williams’ alleged enlistment in the Marine Corps.
Marine Corps officials searched records related to Williams using his full name — Micah Serra Williams — and other identifying information, such as his date of birth and Social Security number. Officials told CBS News their official military personnel records database dates back to the 1960s and is housed at the National Archives’ National Personnel Records Center.
“We searched documents maintained by the Workforce Management Performance Division and were unable to identify whether Mr. Williams is a member or former member of the United States Marine Corps,” an official wrote in response to a public records request from CBS News.
Marine Corps officials told CBS News that if Williams’ story was accurate, there would be records showing he enlisted, graduated and was discharged, even though he enlisted as a minor.
Veteran Anthony Anderson, who runs Courage Keepers, a popular social media site that investigates military records, told CBS News that Williams’ statement was “a slap in the face to those who have earned the title of Marine Corps.” Remember the slap”.
“Marine Corps boot camp is not an easy thing. To call yourself a Marine, you have to go through at least 13 weeks of boot camp and make it through it successfully… Someone in boot camp training Marines lost their lives trying to earn that title,” Anderson said.
While it’s unclear exactly when Williams began claiming he graduated from Marine Corps boot camp, the earliest example CBS News could find stems from Williams’ 2016 meeting with actor and comedian Kevin · Hart’s feud.
In one paragraph it seems recorded “Since I left the Marine Corps, I can only breathe through one nostril,” Williams said of the substance abuse charges.
In the same year, Williams arrested and charged According to previous news reports, a 17-year-old high school wrestler was charged with battery, disorderly conduct and Accused of assault. Williams pleaded not guilty and the case continued until earlier this year when local prosecutors decided to drop the case against Williams.
Shortly after his arrest, Williams spoke about the incident on stage, suggesting that he wasn’t actually choked by the teenager and that, in fact, Williams let him win, adding, “I’m forever Loyal ’til I die, Marine.” Legion…I got through boot camp at 16. ”
Williams’ routine has been removed from YouTube due to copyright infringement concerns, but the video remains on a reader forum at Military.com, a military news and culture website. a user release posted the video to the site in 2016 and asked: “Is Katt Williams a Marine?”
