Brad Williams
A fast-paced comic who turns his stature into a comedic weapon.
3 specials · 2015–2026
Start with Fun Size, the breakout (2015 · 59 min · Showtime)
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When Brad Williams walks out, he talks about his dwarfism before the audience can get tight. He doesn’t do it to educate. He does it because a crowd worrying if it is polite to laugh is a crowd that isn’t laughing. He moves constantly, pacing the stage and occasionally climbing the stool to land a punchline, using a fast, loud delivery to dictate the rhythm. If a joke gets a weak response, he zeroes in on the front row and messes with them until the volume returns.
Specials
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YouTube
On stage
He spent years grinding out clubs before moving to theaters, aided by massive streaming numbers for specials like Starfish. He even spent a stint headlining a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, a gig that perfectly matched his loud, room-filling style. He pulls a broad audience that expects a rowdy night out.
The material relies on physical act-outs and stories about his marriage, fatherhood, and navigating the world as a little person. He is entirely comfortable with raunch. He will build up a premise that sounds like an earnest lesson on tolerance, only to intentionally crash it into a dirty punchline. He is funniest operating with an antagonistic edge, messing with expectations of how he should act. If he drifts into genuine sincerity, the momentum dips, but he usually catches himself and yanks the set back to absurdity.
He started in comedy as a teenager when Carlos Mencia noticed him in the crowd and took him on the road. That era of club touring shaped a performer who learned to hold attention by any means necessary.
Turning points
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Discovered from the Audience by Carlos Mencia
At age 19, Williams was called onto the stage by Carlos Mencia during a standup set and cracked jokes that impressed Mencia, leading to an invitation to open for Mencia on tour.
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Showtime Debut Special Fun Size Airs
Williams premiered his debut one-hour comedy special, Brad Williams: Fun Size, on Showtime, becoming the network's highest-rated comedy special in 2015.
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First Stand-up to Headline Cirque du Soleil
Williams made history by being hired as the lead comedian headlining the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show Mad Apple.
At a glance
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Podcasts
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Heightened Babble · co-host
Two stand-up comedians take on comedy, culture, debates, disagreements, and pure nonsense.
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About Last Night · co-host
A comedy podcast hosted by Brad Williams and Adam Ray that became a mainstay on the iTunes charts.
Also on screen
- 2005–2007
- Mind of Mencia
- 2010–2012
- Pit Boss
- 2013–2014
- Legit
- 2015–2016
- Deadbeat
- Mascots
A clip to start with
A clip of Brad Williams