Most interview subjects might find a quiet place to take the call or not acknowledge when they’re multitasking, but Patricia Williams, aka Ms. Pat, is not fronting and keeps it candid when she’s asked what she’s doing during a phone interview.
“Believe it or not, and you’re probably going to think I’m lying, but I’m cleaning my house up,” Williams chuckled during a phone interview.
For those familiar with Williams’ work, her candid answer should not come as a surprise, as she’s earned her reputation as an authentic, uncompromising voice in comedy with her three-time Emmy-nominated series, “The Ms. Pat Show” and “Ms. Pat Settles It,” which was recently renewed for a third season.
“The Ms. Pat Show” is based on Williams’ life and centers around a multigenerational family, but unlike other sitcoms, it uses explicit language in its dialogue and doesn’t shy away from issues like abortion, addiction and sexual abuse. Her ability to tackle uncomfortable and painful subjects and find humor in them has allowed the sitcom to stand out in a sea of others that may follow a more traditional television lane.
“I do my comedy for me,” she said. “You either take what I’m giving out or you move on. Once you start letting them dictate what you can say and do, then you become the audience. I’m not the audience. I always talk about what’s personal to me, and people come for that reason.”
Before Williams takes the stage at the Irvine Improv on Friday, Aug. 1 and Saturday, Aug. 2, she spoke to Southern California News Group about the fifth season of “The Ms. Pat Show,” what it’s like playing a judge as a convicted felon and getting the nod of approval from sitcom icon Norman Lear. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: You were on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” last year after the Emmys, and you joked that it was your third straight loss. What does it mean for you to be nominated? How do you not let these losses get to you?
I’ve been losing my whole life, but I’m winning now. To be honest with you, though, it’s just a trophy. I tell people all the time, I don’t get caught up in the day. The reason we’re five seasons in with “Ms. Pat” is because we’re the people’s champion. I don’t do this to win. If it comes along, it comes along. I created “The Ms. Pat Show” for the people who sit down and watch it and who bring me back every year.
Q: What was the significance of having your show picked up on BET+ as opposed to a standard television network?
It means a lot to me because it allows me to tell stories that networks are too scared to tell. I’m talking about abortion and abuse. It’s me laughing at everything that I’ve been through in my real life. Unless the network waters it all the way down, so they can use it for their advertisement, they’re never going to do it. I get to talk how I really talk. I’m also a mama who has a type of voice that TV has been too scared to display. They would never allow me to say the things that I’m saying on Fox or CBS. On BET, I get to be the real me, and people understand who I am. There’s a Ms. Pat in every family; if you go down your family tree, you’ll find someone who acts like me. So it’s important for streaming to have a place to show all of that.
Q: You mentioned that you don’t watch a lot of TV, but were there any sitcoms that influenced yours?
“All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” and all of that old stuff that shows struggle and how to handle everyday life. Archie Bunker was probably the edge of TV back then. Can you imagine what they would have been able to say if they were in this time now?
Q: I heard Norman Lear, who created “All in the Family,” was a fan. He saw the pilot for your show and reached out to you personally because he was so impressed. What was that like for you?
It was impressive. This TV thing has taken me to places that I never would have dreamed of as a little Black girl from the inner city of Atlanta. To have Norman Lear call you and say, “Hey, I want to meet with you,” and to get the opportunity to hear Norman Lear say that he watched my show, and this is what he wanted to do in the ’70s and ’80s, but they wouldn’t let him, means a lot. I’ll never forget it because it tells me that I was creating something that hadn’t been done before.
Q: Can you recall a time in your life when you watched a sitcom that dealt with a real-life issue and it hit home?
Every Black person will tell you it was when Will Smith realized his daddy wasn’t (expletive) in “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” If you go on TikTok, you can find a season four finale of my show with people comparing it to the Will Smith scene. People said we haven’t felt this way about TV since Will Smith and his dad.
Q: What is it like to record in front of a studio audience?
It’s powerful. I’m a comedian, so no matter how much we rehearse or what we do during the week, it’s nothing like when we get in front of that live studio audience and the feeling that I get to drive me through each scene.
Q: Do you ever have instances when the audience is laughing too hard and you have to stop filming until it passes?
I mean, we are laughing during the week, but it’s nothing like laughing with the audience. Sometimes we have to give the audience a minute to calm down. The first two seasons, I always said that my actors would never break character, but I’m a comedian. When it’s funny, I don’t know how to hold it. Now we all be breaking and it’s just a fun time. That’s what’s so great about having a live audience.
Q: You’re on the fifth season of “The Ms. Pat Show.” What are some of the things fans can expect this season?
If you thought season four was crazy, y’all might want to put on a seat belt for season five. It’s crazy and hilarious. We’re going to have a good time. We’re going to cry about it. They’re gonna get mad at me. I can imagine my inbox filling up right now and me telling people to go to hell.
Q: You mentioned that you’d go eight seasons, so you have a few more after this by that count. How is the show feeling overall?
It’s feeling great. Paramount can’t close without our crazy president. But if they want a season, we’ve got a season, okay? Five seasons was my goal. Anything after that is gravy. If it shuts down this year, it’s fine with me. I met my goal. If it continued to go, then well, damn, I outdid myself.
Q: Your other show, “Ms. Pat Settles It,” is you in the judge’s seat. What is that experience like for someone like yourself who is a convicted felon?
It’s funny, being a judge as a convicted felon, but I’m just giving my opinion, like, “Hey, why are we arguing as family members and friends?” We just got a third season, and I’m blessed, because TV is not my thing. I’m just a comedian. But you know, it’s just not all jokes and fun; sometimes it gets emotional. I try to bring people down to reality. I’m a mama, aunty and grandparent. A lot of times when those cases coming out, we are joking and we play around but sometimes you can feel what people are really strapped for and can feel their pain.
Q: What are some of the topics that you’re going to be touching on in your upcoming standup shows?
Being married 32 years, being grandparents, having gay daughters and just life. I’m a 53-year-old lady who’s going through menopause. My body doesn’t know what it wants to do, so I just talk a little bit of everything.
Ms. Pat
When: 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, Aug.1. 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2.
Where: Irvine Improv, 527 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine.
Admission: $37.17 – $107.72 at improv.com. Attendees must be 21 or older.