Declared by The Washington Post as “unforgiving and darkly hilarious,” and The New York Times as “brutally honest and outrageous,” Patricia Williams (aka Ms. Pat) is a comedian, author, radio host, podcaster, and actress who brings a raw, in your face, and hilarious perspective to her work.
With an Emmy-nominated multi-cam series based on her own life, an overall deal with BET/Paramount Global, her popular first Netflix hour streaming, and sold-out standup shows nationwide, Ms. Pat is headed for comedy superstardom.
On February 23, 2023, Pat’s multi-cam sitcom The Ms. Pat Show premiered its third season on BET+. Season 1 of the series garnered a 2022 Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Direction For A Comedy Series” category for the episode where Pat confronts the man who sexually and domestically abused her as a teenager. The premiere of the series shattered records for viewing and audience engagement on the BET+ platform and almost crashed the app.
Decider raved “The Ms. Pat Show is bound to be one of the year’s notable new comedies” and Essence Magazine gushed “Ms. Pat is headed for the comedy stratosphere.” Hollywood legends Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment are producing the series along with powerhouse producer Lee Daniels. Based on her own life, the show tells the story of a former convicted felon turned suburban mom (Ms. Pat), whose hustle and resilient spirit was forged on the streets of Atlanta. To much reserve, she and her family now find themselves in conservative middle America. Iconic TV producer Norman Lear loved the pilot episode so much that he reached out to Pat personally to meet with her.
Her Early Life
Born to a single mother of 5, living on welfare in a tough West end neighborhood of Atlanta, Ms. Pat learned early on she would have to fend for herself in this world.
Her Grandfather ran a “bootleg” house where as a kid Pat learned how to roll the drunks for food money. She had her first child at 14 and her second child at 15, “I knew I wasn’t going to college so I figured why not get an early start on my family”.
She became a drug dealer in her teens known by the street name “Rabbit”. “I figured there were two things I could do in my neighborhood to earn money, either sell drugs or sell p*@#$y”.
At 16 she purchased a Cadillac and was taught to drive by a crackhead regular. During her teens she was shot twice and arrested numerous times. At 19 years of age she met a man, and with his help and encouragement decided to get out of the “life”. “I was so tired, I thought for sure I was going to end up dead. He was 21 and a military vet and he showed me a way out”.
Now at 19 with two toddlers and a new husband she is handed 4 more young children from her sister who was struggling with drug addiction. The next 10 years of her life are spent raising those 6 children. Part of that process included visits to the welfare office for food stamps and Section 8 housing assistance for her sister’s children. It was during these visits that Ms. Pat was first told she had a talent for telling funny stories.
In 2003 with her case-worker’s encouragement she decided to go on–stage and appeared at the Open-Mic-Night at “The Pub” in Atlanta. From the moment she stepped on stage she knew she had found her place.