Daddy Issues

Brad Williams operates from a very clear-cut thesis: if you have a physical difference, you might as well weaponize it before anyone else can use it against you. He leans hard into the parenting philosophy of his father, who raised him with an unsentimental, sink-or-swim approach to navigating the world with achondroplasia. Instead of a sob story, Williams delivers a brisk set about how his dad taught him to use a quick wit to disarm bullies—and why that same training makes him completely ruthless when someone tries to feel sorry for him.

Filmed at the Lobero Theatre during the Santa Barbara LOL Comedy Festival, the 2016 Showtime special caught Williams at a high point in his career. His debut hour, Fun Size, had just become a major ratings hit for the network the previous year, and this follow-up cemented his status as a highly sought-after touring headliner.

Director Scott Montoya captures a high-energy performance that bounces from the logistics of public urinals to a cynical take on the media frenzy surrounding Rachel Dolezal. Some of the cultural references from 2016 feel a bit dated, but the core of the set holds up, particularly when Williams explains how different demographics react to seeing a little person in public, or why Southern Californians are fundamentally ill-equipped to handle a real winter.