Katt Williams, a comedic powerhouse who has delighted audiences for decades, recently opened up about a profound transformation in his life during an interview with Michelle Obama. The conversation, part of the IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson podcast, delved into Williams’ personal journey of adopting seven children, expanding his family to a total of ten.

In this heartfelt discussion, Williams shared how the decision to become an adoptive father reshaped his understanding of love and responsibility. Reflecting on his experiences, he emphasized, “Love is the most important thing, and it’s free.” At 54, Williams acknowledges that parenthood has offered him insights and growth that nothing else could have matched.

Williams’ upbringing was deeply rooted in the Jehovah’s Witness faith, a structured and emotionally restrictive environment. By the age of 13, he had emancipated himself, embarking on a journey through life largely on his own. This early independence profoundly influenced how he approaches fatherhood today.

“I realized DNA doesn’t matter; bloodlines don’t matter; family’s where the love is,” Williams expressed, highlighting the core belief that has driven his commitment to his children and redefined his conception of family.

Katt grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. The actor said that his childhood was very structured and emotionally limited. By 13, he was already emancipated and navigating adulthood. Katt shares that this experience later influenced the way he showed up for his own children.

“I realized DNA doesn’t matter; bloodlines don’t matter; family’s where the love is,” he said.

During the conversation, Michelle Obama pointed out just how many children Katt had welcomed into his life — a realization that even surprised him. “I didn’t see that in the bingo cards,” he admitted with a laugh.

His journey into adoption began after learning that the siblings of one of his children had been placed in an orphanage.

“When they called me — I don’t have a direct relationship with these children, but they are the siblings of my son,” he explained. “And I did all the research, and I knew that it takes a million dollars to raise a child. And I was eager to say, ‘Wait a minute, Lord, are you saying I’m gonna have $10 million to raise 10 kids?’ Fine, let’s do it. Let’s go.”

At the time, fame and fortune weren’t part of his reality. He was making “less than $25,000 a year.”

Katt stated that the responsibility forced him to grow quickly. “The kids happening instantly like that meant, ‘Nah, I gotta grow up; I gotta do stuff a different way. Like I gotta do a different trajectory, like, I’m gonna be a family man now, you know? So I couldn’t be the bachelor superstar that I had envisioned at that point that I was getting ready to go into. So, yeah, it saved me for sure.” 

Photo Credit: Katt Williams Instagram