{"id":6164,"date":"2024-01-17T09:03:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T17:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=6164"},"modified":"2026-08-30T20:51:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T03:51:03","slug":"make-laughs-not-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/make-laughs-not-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Laughs, Not War"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chic<\/span><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Brooklyn Jones,\u00a0KiKi Shepherd, Queen Latifah,\u00a0Kim Coles, Kym Whitley,\u00a0Rolanda Watts,\u00a0Erika Alexander, and Jackie Fabolous at The Comedy Union<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

MAKE LAUGHS, NOT WAR<\/h1>\n

Comedy Club Owner Enss Mitchell on that Katt Williams Interview<\/p>\n

By Stacey Gualandi \/ Photos courtesy of Enss Mitchell<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

It\u2019s the interview heard \u2019round the world! When comedy legend Katt Williams joined former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe\u2019s \u201cClub Shay Shay\u201d podcast on January 3rd, he had a take-no-prisoners attitude throughout a nearly three-hour-long conversation.<\/p>\n

On the receiving end of the (one-sided) bruising interview were several of his comedic contemporaries like Kevin Hart, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and countless more.<\/p>\n

The interview already has over 47 million views on YouTube alone, but in case you missed it, these are just some of Williams\u2019 witty yet wrenching takedowns:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • He called Cedric The Entertainer a joke stealer, a \"walrus\" and not multi-talented. \"We found out he can't sing, can't dance and doesn't write jokes,\" said Williams. \"He did four comedy specials. They're so bad, Shannon, they're not available on Netflix or Tubi.\"<\/li>\n
  • He referred to Steve Harvey as a \"country-bumpkin Black dude that can\u2019t talk good and look like Mr. Potato Head,\" and implied Harvey ripped off Mark Curry's character in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper for his series The Steve Harvey Show<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  • He said (out loud) that Kevin Hart might be an \"industry plant\" because his career success came so quickly. \"In 15 years in Hollywood, no one in Hollywood has a memory of going to a sold-out Kevin Hart,\" said Williams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Williams\u2019 disses generated denials, discussion, and disappointment that he exposed what appears to be tightly held secrets in the comedy community. The outspoken performer said he didn\u2019t want to come off as \u201ca petty individual for picking apart lies,\u201d but he hoped to set the record straight in his inimitable style.<\/p>\n

    Veteran Los Angeles-based comedy club owner Enss Mitchell\u2019s perspective remains non-partial yet provocative post-podcast.<\/p>\n

    \"I know a lot of those guys, and I\u2019m not interested in commenting one way or another,\" said Mitchell. \"As a previous comedy club owner and lover of comedy, it breaks my soul when our comedy legends go at each other in front of the world.\"<\/p>\n<\/div>

    <\/span><\/div><\/div>

    Enss Mitchell with former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to receive a proclamation for 2020 African American Heritage Month (Stand UP: The Art and Politics of Comedy)<\/em><\/p>\n

    .<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

    \"If I had the power of Thanos, I would snap my fingers, and they all would write a three-hour dissertation on The Dozens. We have to heal from this.\"<\/p>\n

    During the Katt Williams-Shannon Sharpe interview, Mitchell says there was a positive discussion about the lack of equal pay between Blacks and whites in Hollywood, and that\u2019s the conversation he wants to have.<\/p>\n

    \"[But] the truth is, my interest and focus are 100 percent on building up our community. Full stop.\"<\/p>\n

    Mitchell worked with Mitzi Shore at the Comedy Store, Jamie Masada at the Laugh Factory in Chicago, and owned his own Chicago comedy club.<\/p>\n

    In 2001, Mitchell opened The Comedy Union in Los Angeles when he saw the lack of stage time for Black and Brown comedians to perform.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    <\/span><\/div><\/div>

    The Comedy Union marquee.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

    \u201cI opened The Comedy Union to give young, talented Black comedians a safe place to call their own, to provide a level playing field for them to compete with their counterparts, and a place we all could call home,\u201d said Mitchell.<\/p>\n

    Inside the Union, Mitchell executive produced several projects, including a groundbreaking DVD series at the time called \u201cPhat Comedy Tuesdays\u201d with comedian Guy Torry and \u201cThe Funny Spot,\u201d a stand-up comedy series hosted by Tony Rock for TV One.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThese productions showcased some of our best Black comics to the world,\u201d said Mitchell. \u201cMy vision was always focused on providing a platform for Black comedians to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Over its two-decade\u00a0run, Black comic royalty blessed the stage in the 130-seat room, Mitchell says. More than he can count.<\/p>\n

    \u201cKatt performed on my stage, and it was always thunder; Kevin [Hart] frequently performed on my stage, and it was electric; Tiffany Haddish performed there, and she killed it every time,\u201d added Mitchell.<\/p>\n

    Sadly, the pandemic brought down the house three years ago. Since closing, Mitchell pivoted to developing and producing for TV. His most recent work includes talent producer for VICE TV\u2019s acclaimed \u201cDark Side of Comedy\u201d series.<\/p>\n

    (Dark side of comedy. How ironic, joked Mitchell.)<\/p>\n

    \u201cMaybe the time is right to bring back The Comedy Union,\u201d admitted Mitchell. \u201cMy reasons are in the club\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Since the infamous interview dropped, Mitchell has received dozens of calls from comedians and columnists asking for comment on what is now dubbed on social media \u201cthe first interview to break the internet in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n

    As a friend of Mitchell\u2019s for decades and a long-time fan of the Comedy Union, where I witnessed up-and-coming comedians like Kevin Hart and the late David Arnold take the stage (and got heckled by some of the best\u2026Hello, Lisa Lampanelli!), he agreed to talk about how to move forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    <\/span><\/div><\/div>

    Katt Williams on The Comedy Union stage.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

    \u201cI had already been seriously thinking about re-opening the club for a host of reasons,\u201d said Mitchell. \u201cBut this tidal wave of calls and reconnecting with so many comics who still suffer from a lack of places to work out their material and develop their craft sealed it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Mitchell believes the next generation of talented Black comedians is seriously jeopardized if they don\u2019t have a place to perform and work out consistently.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI think we can agree that with all the Black millionaires in Los Angeles and around the world, it\u2019s simply a crime for there not to be a proud, thriving Black-owned comedy club in Los Angeles,\u201d said Mitchell. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be The Comedy Union, but a venue for the African American comedy community is desperately needed right now!\u201d<\/p>\n

    So, Mitchell has a solution for all the Black celebrity comedians with money, influence, passion and an interest to build with and\u00a0in their community.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI have a new vision to do something great in comedy,\u201d said Mitchell. \u201cI would say to Katt, \u2018I got an idea;\u2019 I would say to Kevin, \u2018Let\u2019s do something they won\u2019t expect;\u2019 I\u00a0would say to Cedric, \u2018Let\u2019s blow their minds.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    <\/span><\/div><\/div>

    Kevin Hart on The Comedy Union stage.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

    \"Maybe this is my fantasy talking, but 22 years ago, The Comedy Union was simply an idea in my head that became a reality, \" said Mitchell. \"I see the\u00a0Katt Williams interview as a way to inspire and bring all the top Black celebrity comedians and wealthy power brokers closer together to invest in and build a new comedy history together. This time with a lasting legacy attached.\"<\/p>\n

    Mitchell has already thought of a new name for the club: The Comedy Re-Union.<\/p>\n

    For now, he hopes this viral moment\u2014with 47 million views and counting\u2014will also help these comedy kings realize their power and reach and bring us all \u201cback to making the world laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Added Mitchell: \u201cAs an African American man, I want to help my community\u00a0build, not break.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

    <\/lite-youtube><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div><\/div>
    <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It\u2019s the interview heard \u2019round the world! When comedy legend Katt Williams joined former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe\u2019s \u201cClub Shay Shay\u201d podcast on January 3rd, he had a take-no-prisoners attitude throughout a nearly three-hour-long conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2360,4520],"tags":[4070,4067,4073,4065,4066,4068,4072,4071,3128,4069,4074],"class_list":["post-6164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-entertainment","tag-cedric-the-entertainer","tag-club-shay-shay","tag-comedy-union","tag-enss-mitchell","tag-katt-williams","tag-kevin-hart","tag-laugh-factory","tag-shannon-sharpe","tag-stacey-gualandi","tag-steve-harvey","tag-the-comedy-store"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6164"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6179,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6164\/revisions\/6179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}