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Woke Foke

Katt Williams

Netflix · 2024 · 60 min

The live comedy follow-up to a viral podcast reckoning.

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Katt Williams stepped onto the stage in 2024 carrying the baggage of an internet-shattering, three-hour interview on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. Having spent the start of the year calling out half of Hollywood’s comedy roster, the expectations for his subsequent stand-up performance were absurdly high. Fans tuned in expecting a continuation of that media blitz, but what they got was a more conventional, sometimes uneven hour of stage comedy.\n\nFilmed live at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, during the Netflix Is A Joke Fest, the show marked Netflix’s second-ever live comedy broadcast. Williams does address the podcast fallout, joking about his role as an exposed undercover ally, but he quickly pivots to a scattershot range of topics. He jokes about the Montgomery riverboat brawl, questions the logic of blind children playing football, and mocks the vague medical updates surrounding Jamie Foxx. The set also takes aim at broader political issues, questioning why America sends billions to Ukraine before shifting into a surprisingly structured final bit advocating for reparations.\n\nDespite racking up over 13 million views to become one of the platform’s biggest hits of the year, the reception was largely mixed. Critics and long-term fans pointed out that the material lacked the manic, focused energy of the viral podcast appearance. Many felt the jokes relied too heavily on older touring material and easy targets, making the special feel like a step down from his early-career heights.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Shannon Sharpe podcast fallout and infiltrating the Illuminati

    Explaining that Shannon Sharpe's loud mouth blew his cover, claiming his job in his spare time is to infiltrate the Illuminati, look for secrets, and report back.

  2. Blind football viral video

    Playing an old 2000s news clip of a blind child playing football, arguing that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

  3. The definition of 'woke' and toxic masculinity

    Refusing to be mad at the term 'woke' because it just means the opposite of sleep, and arguing that toxic masculinity is redundant while its real opposite is femininity.

  4. Ozempic weight loss

    Riffing on the weight-loss drug Ozempic being 'too strong.'

  5. Re-enacting the Alabama dock brawl

    Sharing his joy and regaling the audience with a retelling and re-enactment of the viral Alabama dock brawl video.

  6. A call for reparations

    Arguing the country has the money given the billions sent overseas to Ukraine, urging empathy and financial amends for Black Americans.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, provocative, raunchy, yet surprisingly uplifting and earnest.
On stage
Truth-telling, irreverent, wearing gold-dripping jewelry and a custom WOKE FOKE medallion necklace.
Pace
Trademark rapid-fire style, catching his breath between curveball punchlines.
About
being woke vs. sleep, toxic masculinity, Illuminati secrets, celebrity gossip and callouts, racism in 2024, reparations

What the critics said

Critics found the special technically well-directed but overly scripted, safe, and lacking the dangerous, unfiltered comedic hype generated by his podcast interviews, quickly being overshadowed by Netflix's Tom Brady roast the following night.

In the room: Viewers and reviewers noted mixed reactions, with some finding the crowd uninterested or bored during portions of the hour-long live set.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, eurweb.com, nytimes.com, decider.com, vulture.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Filmed and live-streamed as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Fest in Los Angeles, following Williams' viral, explosive three-hour January appearance on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast.

Details

Released
Taped
YouTube Theater, Inglewood
Runtime
60 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Troy Miller
Honors
1 nomination total
Topics
Before
World War III (2022)
After
The Last Report (2026)

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