los angeles – Emmy-winning actor and renowned stand-up comedian, Katt Williams, has claimed for years that he joined the U.S. Marine Corps as a teenager and successfully completed the rigorous training, but when his superiors found out It turned out that he was thrown out of the army. Minor. The Marines told CBS News they have no record of him.
Since at least 2016, Williams has claimed affiliation with the US Marine Corps while talking about his personal biography in video blogs, his stand-up routines, and interviews seen and heard by millions of people. It appears that his claims of military service are not connected to any of his critically acclaimed jokes or the characters he created for stage and screen, but rather is a part of his journey toward comedy.
The US Marine Corps told CBS News that Williams has no record of ever entering military service or attending any Marine Corps recruit training camp.
Multiple emails and phone calls were sent to Williams' publicist, Amy Sysoyev, and her representatives at Creative Artists Agency, but received no response for nearly two weeks.
Earlier this year, Williams sat down with ESPN's “First Take” correspondent Shannon Sharp for a nearly 3-hour interview on her podcast, “Club She She.”, the interview took place racked Over 83 million views on YouTube at the time of publication and is the most viewed interview in YouTube history.
Sharp, a former Denver Bronco and ex-NFL analyst for CBS Sports, asked Williams about growing up in Florida.
“I try to join the Marine Corps and they won't accept me because I'm too young, and I lied and told them I'm 16 and my family is moving and I don't have my ID. But it is coming and so they are. [the Marines] Let me go to boot camp,'” Williams said.
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Similarly, on comedian Marc Maron podcast Last year, Williams said, “And then I try to join the Marine Corps, and I go to boot camp and I pass, and then they tell me I'm too small, and they tell me I'm too young.” Let's throw a little ceremony 'cause I passed, you know, ooh-rah,
He continued, “I wasn't even 16. I wasn't even 16. I was already – I misjudged. I thought you know, by the time I came back I'd be good. , but I couldn't do it until boot camp was over until I turned 16.”
Maron, whose “WTF” podcast receives Listened by over 55 million people per year, Williams was asked whether he succeeded in boot camp and about his celebration.
Williams confirmed that he passed boot camp, saying, “Everyone gets a ceremony when you come back and I was supposed to maybe be put in brigadier or court-martialed or something. , but they didn't treat me that way. … As far as the Marine Corps, whatever they were selling, you remember those ads at the time… If you wanted to join a gang were, the Marines were the gang to join.”
On Saturday, CBS News attended Vulture Festival in Los Angeles where Williams was interviewed by Vulture writer and host of “Good One: The Podcast About Jokes” Jesse David Fox about his life and career. Williams is set to begin her multistate “Heaven on Earth” tour next year.
While Williams did not discuss his alleged short stint in the Marines, the comedian said, “Thank God I tell the truth,” when asked by Fox about his past statements in the interview.
CBS News filed a Freedom of Information Act request for records related to Williams' alleged recruitment into the Marine Corps.
Marine Corps officials searched records related to Williams, using his full name – Micah Sierra Williams – and other identifying information such as his date of birth and Social Security number. Officials told CBS News that their database of official military personnel files dating back to the 1960s is housed at the National Archives' National Personnel Records Center.
“We searched files maintained by the Manpower Management Performance Branch, but were unable to identify Mr. Williams as a member or former member of the U.S. Marine Corps,” an official wrote in response to a CBS News public records request.
Marine Corps officials told CBS News that if Williams' story were accurate, there would be records showing his entry into military service, his graduation and discharge, even if he fraudulently enlisted as a minor.
Army veteran Anthony Anderson, who runs “Guardians of Valor,” a popular social media website that checks the records of service members, told CBS News that Williams' claims are “a slap in the face to those who fought against the Marines.” Earned the degree.”
“Boot camp for the Marine Corps is no easy task. To call yourself a Marine, you must go through at least 13 weeks of boot camp and successfully navigate the crucible of … boot camp in an attempt to earn the title Marines have died while training in the U.S.,” Anderson said.
While it's unclear when exactly Williams began claiming he graduated from Marine boot camp, the earliest example CBS News found comes from Williams' 2016 feud with actor and comedian Kevin Hart .
It appears in a video recorded Addressing drug abuse allegations by Williams, the comedian says, “Ever since I came out of the Marine Corps, I can only breathe through one nose.”
That same year, Williams was arrested and charged The 17-year-old was also charged with disorderly conduct and battery charges after a fight with a high school wrestler at an apartment complex in Gainesville, Georgia, according to previous news reports. Williams pleaded not guilty and the case continued until earlier this year when local prosecutors decided to drop the case against Williams.
Williams spoke about the episode on stage shortly after his arrest, stating that he was not actually choked by the teen and that, in fact, Williams had let him win, and said, “I'll die semper. “Fih, I passed motherf–ing boot camp at 16.”
Williams' routine was removed from YouTube due to copyright infringement issues, but the video still exists on the reader forum on the military news and culture website Military.com. a user Posted The video was posted on the website in 2016 and asked: “Is Katt Williams a Marine?”
