Brad Williams On Diddy & Meek Mill, Mike Tyson, Justin Bieber, iShowSpeed, Peter Dinklage & Dwarfism

TL;DR

Stand-up comedian Brad Williams discusses dwarfism, comedy, his late father's influence, and pop culture moments in a wide-ranging Club Shay Shay interview.

Key Points

• 1.Peter Dinklage cost Brad Williams a major acting role. Dinklage publicly opposed live-action dwarfs in Snow White, leading to CGI replacements — Williams calls this hypocritical since Dinklage himself appeared in the film.
• 2.The Diddy and Meek Mill photo caused a flood of mistaken-identity DMs. A viral photo of a little person with Diddy and Meek Mill led fans to message Williams assuming it was him, forcing him to publicly clarify it wasn't.
• 3.Williams jokes that all little people must behave because one's scandal reflects on all. He quipped that if Dinklage appeared on the Epstein list, every little person would be implicated by association.
• 4.Mike Tyson once invited Williams to smoke weed in a green room with no warning. After performing at the Hollywood Improv, Williams opened a door to find only Tyson inside, who immediately offered him a joint.
• 5.Williams wrestled competitively in high school in the 103 lb weight class. His low center of gravity gave him an advantage, and he regularly pinned average-sized opponents to the humiliation of their watching fathers.
• 6.Williams's father prepared him for playground cruelty by practicing comebacks at home. His trial attorney dad would mock him, then coach counterattacks — on day one of school, Brad made a classmate cry and got sent to the principal's office.
• 7.Williams once got a fake 'Best Police Officer' trophy to avoid speeding tickets. He bought it at a Universal Studios gift shop and kept it in his glove box, handing it to every officer who pulled him over — he never received a ticket.
• 8.Williams was in a car accident caused by his pedal extender breaking. When the other driver saw him emerge from the car, the man assumed the crash had somehow compressed Williams, thinking he had 'accordioned' him.
• 9.Brad's daughter is also a little person with the same type of dwarfism — achondroplasia. Williams is raising her using the same parenting philosophy his own father used: prepare children for the world as it is, not as it should be.
• 10.Williams's father beat skin cancer but later died of ALS three years ago. Despite surviving cancer, a fake hip, and a fake knee, he contracted ALS; his final words were 'I love her' directed at Williams's daughter.
• 11.Williams received the news his dad was in cancer remission five minutes before going on stage. He collapsed crying in the green room at Comedy Works South in Denver, then had to compose himself immediately and perform.
• 12.Williams defends comedians' right to attempt jokes, citing cancelled comedians who sell out arenas. He argues Dave Chappelle, Joe Rogan, Shane Gillis, and Louis CK have all been 'cancelled' yet earn massive paychecks performing to huge crowds.
• 13.Williams attributes great comedy to struggle, linking disability humor to Jewish and Black comedic traditions. He notes that the people who get most offended by disability jokes are never the people actually living with the disability.
• 14.Williams offers a free meet-and-greet after every show to all 1,200 paying attendees. He refuses to charge for photos post-show, arguing those fans are paying his mortgage and deserve direct access without an upcharge.
• 15.The title mentions Justin Bieber and iShowSpeed, but neither topic received substantial discussion in the available transcript portion.