On his own at 13, later a comedy giant

Katt Williams grew up in Ohio, and by his own account his childhood was marked by arguments with his parents. In an opinion piece for theGrio in July 2023, the writer Touré draws on interviews in which the comedian described that time. Williams said he did not fit the strict rules of the family's household, so he had himself legally emancipated and left his parents' home in Ohio at the age of 13.

He went to Florida and was homeless there for about four years, which would have carried him through his teens. By his account, he slept in a homeless encampment in Coconut Grove, a neighbourhood of Miami, and spent his days in the library. He has said that he finished twelve books a day back then. The details of this period come from Williams's own accounts, as reported in the piece, rather than from independent verification.

The article does not say how or exactly when his homelessness ended. It also describes his later success only in general terms, calling him one of America's greatest entertainers. What it does emphasise is how Touré reads the story: he points to a tiny, uneducated, teenage homeless boy in Florida who did not waste away, and he sees that early period as the source of Williams's drive.

Touré also notes other things about Williams's life since. The comedian has adopted seven children, and he told Howard Stern that he promised himself he would help other people if he made it in comedy. Williams became one of the best-known stand-up comedians in the United States.