On an episode of Shannon Sharpe's Nightcap podcast with Gilbert Arenas, the former NFL star addressed his wild interview with Katt Williams and said he found it difficult to hear him say some of the things said about people he's cool with.
"I had reached out to Katt last year... But in the meantime, I've had Steve Harvey on the pod, I've had Cedric the Entertainer on the pod, I've had Michael Blackson on the pod, [and] Rickey Smiley on the pod," he said at the 46-minute point of the Wednesday, January 3 episode of Nightcap. All four of those comedians got multiple mentions throughout the almost three-hour podcast, and Williams didn't have anything nice to say about any of them.
"Gil, before I asked one question, he went 30 minutes," Sharpe continued. "So now, as the interviewer, I'm going in my head, 'Do I cut him off and get to the line of questioning, or do I let him go?' I said, 'God, you in control, take the wheel.' And he went! ... I'm assuming, [that] when someone comes on my show, and they're telling me something that no one else has heard... I'm assuming they're telling me the truth because only said individual was there would know. You're asking me, 'Well, why didn't you correct this?' Hell, I wasn't on the set so I couldn't!"
Sharpe said that he didn't want to "pick a side" during the interview and maintains that he's still "cool" with many of the previous podcast guests Williams dissed. "I'm cool with Steve Harvey, I'm cool with Rickey Smiley," he said. "I'm cool with Cedric the Entertainer. I'm cool with Kevin Hart. I know Michael Blackson a little bit, but I don't have his number. ... So I have a personal relationship, I'm not saying we boys, but we have a friendly relationship. We cool. So my thing is like, that's the hardest part. Because he's saying things about people, and I'm like, 'Man.' The best thing for me is just to be Switzerland, stay neutral, ask the questions, and then I'm gonna let the viewing audience take their side."
Sharpe let out a little laugh when recounting some of the people who have already responded to Williams' comments, including Blackson and Cedric. He also hit back against people who suggested the cognac the two drank influenced the way the interview went down. "We should have had the cameras rolling when he walked in," Sharpe said.
"I just hope, and from the looks of it fans have really liked it... My goal is always the same, Gil, I try to do the best content I possibly can, I try to get people that I believe [are] people that subscribe, listen, view, watch, download Club Shay Shay," he continued. "And for the most part, I can get one or two stories that they haven't told, or they haven't told in a long time. And if they have told, people don't remember. And so what Katt did, I mean he did me a solid 'cause, you know, I didn't think I was going to be able to get him as soon as I did."
Regardless of how he feels about some of the comments Williams made in the interview, Sharpe said he's very appreciative of the response it's gotten so far. Since it debuted on Wednesday, the full episode has gotten over 14 million views on YouTube alone. That's not even including listeners and viewers who checked it out on other podcast platforms, or the various clips circulating on social media and the highlights posted to the Club Shay Shay page.
During the interview, Williams accused Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer of plagiarism, Rickey Smiley of lying about Friday After Next, said Michael Blackson fakes his African accent, and called Kevin Hart an "industry plant." Check out the full list of people who caught strays in the interview here.
