I had no idea Katt Williams grew up a Jehovah’s Witness until his viral interview on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Club Shay Shay. I find it fascinating to hear about other people’s upbringing in the cult because I get it. Imagine your native tongue being a language few people in the world speak, then stumbling upon another person fluent in that language. It’s kind of like that.
*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****
It’s hard to believe there was anything left unsaid in the nearly three hour interview, but I noticed a familiar hesitancy when Katt discussed his family, compared to his remarkable candor throughout the rest of the interview. When Shannon asked about his decision to move out of state on his own at thirteen years old, Katt mentioned an altercation with his father stemming from a disagreement about religion. I understand why a seemingly benign difference in opinion would compel him to run away from home. It’s hard to paint a full picture without providing adequate context, but it would take a thesis to do so because being a JW is so integral to a person’s entire life. Here’s my perception:
When Katt says he spoke on stage to large audiences at five years old in full suit and tie, he is referencing giving a talk at the Theocratic Ministry School meeting, one of the thrice-weekly church services where we were taught from a young age how to knock on your doors and annoy you on Saturday mornings.
When he said everything he wanted to be was nothing his parents wanted him to be, as JW parents, their primary expectation was most likely for him to dedicate his life to being a JW at the cost of anything and everything else, including higher education and career advancement. I agonized over telling my parents I wanted to go to college, and I was “counseled” (read: chastised) by elders when I finally did.
When he says they tried to disfellowship him even though he was a virgin, which lead to his disillusionment with the religion, he means he was accused of sexual immorality and subjected to a judicial committee where he was questioned in detail about it. Even though he was innocent, he was judged guilty and excommunicated by men who claim to be mouthpieces of God and directed by Holy Spirit. His disfellowshipping would have been announced on stage to the entire congregation, and he would be shunned by his family and entire social circle, since association with “worldly” (read: non-JW) people is frowned upon. It’s interesting how their own actions reveal the man behind the curtain. I realized it was all bullshit when I tried to report my dad’s abuse to the elders and they told me, an audacious girl child making damaging accusations against a fellow elder, to sit down, shut up and stay in my place.
Katt said of his parents, “I’m not going to let you tell me what I’m going to be, especially if what you’re telling me is wrong. I can’t condone wrong. And if I find out something is wrong and I tell you it’s wrong and you don’t back me… that’s what it is.” He is describing parents who choose a cult over their children. With the religion involved, the conflict between him and his father ran much deeper than a clash of male egos. It is the struggle of every JW child who is shocked to learn their entire life has been a lie, and horrified to realize their family chooses to continue living in it. Of course Katt ran away as soon and as far as he could. It is at once heart-wrenching and absurd. I’m glad he found the comedy in the absurdity. His life is a testament to the heights we can achieve when we choose to live in truth.
“The truth is the light. 2024 is the year.” – Katt Williams. Hear, hear.
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