Brad Williams (comedian)
{{short description|American comedian}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox comedian
| name = Brad Williams
| image = US Air Force 071128-F-6470S-002 Brad Williams (cropped).jpg
| caption = Williams in 2007
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|01|13}}
| birth_place = Orange, California, U.S.
| genre = Observational comedy
| subject = Everyday life, sex, identity politics, current events, pop culture
| death_date =
| death_place =
| active = 2003–present
| spouse = {{marriage |Jasmine Williams|2017}}
| alma_mater = Sunny Hills High School
| children = 1
| website = {{URL|http://bradwilliamscomedy.com}}
}}
Brad Williams (born January 13, 1984) is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. He was born with achondroplasia.
Early years
Williams was born with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism. His condition plays a large part in both his stand-up comedy and his television roles. He attended Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, California, and the University of Southern California. He withdrew from the university to pursue his acting and comedy career.
Comedy career
Williams got his start at age 19 by attending a Carlos Mencia live comedy show. While he was in the crowd, Mencia made jokes about dwarves. The people sitting close to Williams were afraid to laugh and appear insensitive. Mencia noticed this, then noticed Williams and asked him to join him on stage. Williams cracked a few jokes and impressed Mencia. Mencia then asked Williams to try stand-up and be his opening act on the road. Williams has been Mencia's opening act for multiple tours, opening up shows on both the Mind of Mencia tour and the popular Punisher Tour.{{cite news |first=Suzanna |last=Caldwell |date=October 1, 2010 |work=Fairbanks Daily News-Miner |title=Size does matter for comedian Brad Williams, smaller is better |url=https://www.newsminer.com/features/latitude_65/size-does-matter-for-comedian-brad-williams-smaller-is-better/article_bf3822f1-5064-5c74-9ea4-7b50e3dfdff4.html |access-date=2024-05-31 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807062350/http://newsminer.com/bookmark/9723571-Size-does-matter-for-comedian-Brad-Williams-smaller-is-better |archive-date=August 7, 2011 }}
In 2022, Williams was hired as the lead comic of the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show Mad Apple.{{cite news |last=Lerman |first=Ali |date=May 25, 2022 |title=Brad Williams brings comedy to (gigantic) center stage of Cirque du Soleil's 'Mad Apple' |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-05-25/brad-williams-mad-apple-cirque-du-soleil}}
Television appearances
Williams appeared on Mind of Mencia, playing several roles, including playing a dwarf whore ("whorf"), the leader of an all dwarf basketball team, joining Mencia at a Renaissance faire, and giving a speech about his hatred of podiums.{{cite news |author= |date=December 27, 2011 |title=Carlos Mencia Comedy Is HARDER When You Lose the Fat |url=http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/27/carlos-mencia-skinny-midget-little-person/ |website=TMZ |access-date=May 2, 2018}} For St. Patrick's Day 2008, Brad, dressed as a leprechaun, made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. For Halloween 2008, Brad dressed up as Child's Play character Chucky for a skit on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Stand-up releases
In April 2011, Williams released his first full-length comedy album called Coming Up Short.
On April 14, 2014, Williams started hosting the About Last Night podcast with comedian/actor Adam Ray.{{cite web |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/about-last-night/id518082771?mt=2 |title=About Last Night by Brad Williams & Adam Ray |website=Apple Podcasts|language=en|access-date=2018-01-01}}
Williams had his first one-hour comedy special, Brad Williams: Fun Size, on May 8, 2015, on Showtime. His second one-hour comedy special, Brad Williams: Daddy Issues, aired on May 20, 2016, on Showtime.
Williams was a frequent guest and "friend of the show" to The Kevin and Bean Show, broadcast weekday mornings on KROQ 106.7FM, Los Angeles, California. He appeared on Kevin and Bean{{'}}s "April Foolishness" comedy show in 2012, 2013 and 2015 alongside such comedians as Bob Saget, Jay Mohr, Jim Jeffries, Bill Burr, and Eddie Izzard.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
Personal life
Williams has been confused with Jason "Wee Man" Acuña from Jackass because of their similar appearance.{{cite news |author= |date=2007-07-05 |title=TMZ's Small Mistake — Big Trouble |website=TMZ |url=http://www.tmz.com/2007/07/05/tmzs-small-mistake-big-trouble}}
Williams has also been confused with professional wrestler Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl.
In 2014, Williams made comments on the podcast Getting Doug with High during which he admitted to and described committing rape by deception. The episode was subsequently taken down, although clips of the episode reappeared on YouTube in 2019, prompting social media discussion about consent and widespread criticism of Williams’ actions.{{cite web |url=https://lodane.medium.com/secretvillage-7bf1bd16ed97 |title=Carlos Mencia's Rape Plot — According to 'Degenerate' Brad Williams |website=Medium |date= 24 December 2019 |access-date=2024-05-31}}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kG1x7_iQHc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/0kG1x7_iQHc |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live |title=Brad Williams RAPED A Girl!? Getting Doug With High DELETED CLIP |publisher=YouTube |date=2019-10-22 |access-date=2020-01-15}}{{cbignore}} On January 14, 2020, Williams tweeted an apology on Twitter where he stated that the story was fabricated and intended as a joke.{{Cite tweet |first=Brad |last=Williams |user=funnybrad |number=1217314304497602561 |title=I owe you all an apology |date=2020-01-14 |access-date=2020-01-15}}
In 2017, Williams married taekwondo instructor Jasmine Gong.{{cite web |url=https://theinterrobang.com/cipha-sounds-casey-jost-melissa-diaz-tamer-kattan-brad-williams-steve-mittleman/ |title=Brad Williams in NYC, Cipha Sounds Hip Hop Improv, Women of a Certain Age and More |last=Gurian |first=Jeffrey |author-link=Jeffrey L. Gurian |date=April 9, 2018 |website=The Interrobang |access-date=2019-12-07}} In January 2020, the couple had a daughter, who also is an achondroplastic dwarf.{{Cite tweet |first=Brad |last=Williams |user=funnybrad |number=1216861151562059778 |title=And then...life mattered. She's here! Mom and baby are both doing great. We are already proud parents! |date=2020-01-13 |access-date=2020-01-15}}{{Cite news |first=Gladys |last=Mokeira Obiero |date=4 August 2020 |title=Comedian Brad Williams wife: Quick facts and photos |website=Tuko.co.ke |url=https://www.tuko.co.ke/371699-comedian-brad-williams-wife-quick-facts-photos.html}}
Discography
| class = "wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Notes |
|---|
| 2011
| Coming Up Short | Debut full-length album |
| 2013
| Hi Ho | |
| 2015
| Fun Size | Also comedy special |
| 2016
| Daddy Issues | Also comedy special |
| 2024
|Starfish |Comedy Special |
Filmography
=Television=
| class = "wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class = "unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2003
| Himself | 1 episode |
| 2005–07
| Various roles | 21 episodes |
| 2008
| Himself | June 13, 2008 |
| 2008
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Leprechaun | March 17, 2008 |
| 2009
| New Jersey Net / Mini Cowboy | December 4, 2009 / April 14, 2009 |
| 2010–12
| Pit Boss | Himself | 12 episodes |
| 2011
| Video Game Reunion | Little Nemo | April 12, 2011 |
| 2012
| A Guy Walks Into a Bar | Jason | Episode: "Magic Apples" |
| 2012
| The Naughty Show | Himself | January 17, 2012 / February 7, 2012 |
| 2012–15
| Himself | 7 episodes |
| 2012–17
| Himself | Episodes: "Brad Williams: Sex Video Game" / "My Urinal" |
| 2013–14
| Legit | Himself | 3 episodes: "Bag Lady", "Intervention", "Sober" |
| 2013
| Making Yogurt with Brady Matthews | Himself | |
| 2013
| Dom Irrera Live | Himself | |
| 2013
| Hector | Episode: "#MotorcycleMystery" |
| 2014
| Legit | Brad | Episode: "Honesty" |
| 2014
| Comedy Underground with Dave Attell | Himself | April 19, 2014 |
| 2015
| Kamikaze Comedy | Himself | Episode: "The One Where the Guys Comedy Bomb the Hood" |
| 2015
| Brad Williams: Fun Size | Himself | Debut comedy special |
| 2015
| Absolutely Jason Stuart | Himself | Episodes: "Brad Williams" / "Brad Williams II" |
| 2015
| Why? With Hannibal Buress | Himself | Episode: "Get the F Out of Here" |
| 2015
| Best in Sex: 2015 AVN Awards | 1st Comedy Segment Actor | TV special |
| 2015–16
| Deadbeat | Tyson | 7 episodes |
| 2016
| Court Ordered | Corbin | TV series short / Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2016
| Brad Williams: Daddy Issues | Himself | Comedy special |
| 2017
| Steve | Episode: "Celebrity Tantrum" |
| 2017
| What's Your F@#King Deal?! | Himself | Episode: "Brad Williams, Nick Vatterott and Godfrey" |
| 2017
| The Nasty Show Volume II Hosted by Brad Williams | Himself | TV movie / Host |
| 2018
| Himself | Episode: "Famous" / Writer (1 episode) |
| 2018
| The Degenerates | Himself | Netflix series; Episode: "Brad Williams" |
| 2018-19
| Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2020
| Harry Lime / Teenage Boy | Voice role; Episode: "Buster Olive in: The Monkey Got Closer Overnight" |
| 2024
| Starfish | Himself | Comedy special |
=Film=
| class = "wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class = "unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2003
| El matador | Little Actor #5 | |
| 2006
| Life is Short | Gary | Short film |
| 2010
| Rageous | Himself | TV movie |
| 2011
| Team Apparition | Little Person Ghost | |
| 2011
| Geezas | Little Carlos | |
| 2011
| Balls to the Wall | Trevor | |
| 2011
| Hollywood Sex Wars | Onch | |
| 2012
| Hercules Saves Christmas | Elf Joseph | |
| 2015
| Himself | |
| 2016
| Mascots | Ron "The Worm" Trippman | |
| 2016
| Everybody Has an Andy Dick Story | Himself | TV movie documentary |
| 2017
| Gozamel | |
| 2017
| Poop Talk | Himself | Documentary |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website}}
- {{IMDb name|0930149}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130107055658/http://gocastnetwork.com/category/about-last-night/ About Last Night podcast]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Brad}}
Category:American actors with disabilities
Category:American male comedians
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:Comedians from California