(ThyBlackMan.com) This 2024 year has begun with scorching drama. Instead of talking about resolutions and what we want this year to be about, we’re discussing Katt Williams and all the tea he spilled on “Club Shay Shay” with Shannon Sharpe. In an interview that was close to three hours long the comedian gave his unfiltered position on many topics and spoke blatantly about several comedians such as: Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, Rickey Smiley, and Kevin Hart. The drama was visceral and messy…and let’s be honest, over a week later it is still the conversation. In wake of this it seems there may be more entertainers deciding to spill their tea…even Kelly Price wants to enter the discussion. We are just about halfway through the first month of the New Year, and it has already been dubbed a year to tell the truth.
The question is, what kind of truth are we telling and more importantly why. It seems the drama mill will be churning quicker than ever. Why is it that drama…or mess sells? Why do we entertain it? It’s easy to have an opinion about the person sharing the drama, but those that partake, and spread are just as guilty? Katt Williams’s interview is a reminder that we can be distracted at any given moment by drama. If you think we can maintain the drama mill and pay attention to the matters that truly need our attention…the state of our communities say we cannot.
The Katt Williams interview seemed like bad timing to some. It looks like we have an open witch hunt on Black Men and our community is playing a large part in this hunt. Social media allows us to shield or tear down each other…and the latter seems to be the case. Regardless, of whether this is justified or not [which is a conversation for a different day] the optics looks terrible…especially when we are trying to get other groups to understand, or at least acknowledge, that our people have value. This acknowledgement is not so much about validation, but the protection of our person and rights. Every time we look online it seems another Black man, or woman, of celebrity status is under scrutiny. This is dangerous, and unfortunately…we participate. There are some that will question why Katt Williams decided to speak out now…and others will say Katt has been speaking we’re just finally listening because of how visceral this delivery has been. Either way Katt is back in the news and this tea is just the beginning.
People are so invested in drama and the lives of others. Even as some will say, I don’t care what celebrities do…they will in the same breath defend their right to entertain and speak on the drama by which they are partaking. Time will be spent dissecting everything Katt Williams had to say. Of course, we don’t care, but we also need to take the time to find out how truthful his statements were. Whether we acknowledge it, or not, we are giving time to a matter that very well may not pay us…depending on your profession. We talk about wanting to live drama free lives while being knee deep in the drama of others as though it directly affects our life. Once the interview was done the next thing, we saw was posts, and videos of receipts to confirm or deny everything Katt Williams had to say. Think about it, people took the time to search footage of shows and interviews of Katt Williams and everyone he mentioned. How much time was given to drama that was needed elsewhere?
Drama sells because we are invested in it…regardless of the why. Some could argue that drama is a poison in our community because there is so much that we need to be doing so this is a distraction. It can also be said there are many more ways to entertain ourselves instead of watching the tearing down of one another as though it’s sport. Though the interview is drama, and on surface appears to be bitterness and haterade…there may also be another aspect to consider. Did Katt Williams have the right to go off as he did? Was he defending himself? And if he was, was there a better way to get this done? Was there a way to deal with the matter without a public dragging that has our community overly investing in poison? That is an answer we do not have, but sorely need…for future reference. Maybe it will give us insight into how to deal with each other without becoming a distraction.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; C. Starr and also Twitter; MrzZeta.
Also via email at; CStarr@ThyBlackMan.com.