Katt Williams walked into the Kia Forum on Sunday night, sat across from Kevin Hart at a live Netflix roast, and dismantled years of public animosity with a set that alternated between scorching insults and a reconciliation that brought the Inglewood arena to its feet.
The Roast of Kevin Hart, a three-hour live event anchored to the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, drew one of the most star-packed daises the format has seen. Shane Gillis hosted. Tom Brady, Chelsea Handler, Pete Davidson, Lizzo, Jeff Ross, Sheryl Underwood, Draymond Green, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, Venus and Serena Williams, and Na’im Lynn all took turns eviscerating the comedian.
Hart’s height, his Jumanji and Ride Along franchises, and his drug-addicted, absent father absorbed most of the punishment. Usher, backed by The Roots as house band, opened the night by singing a parody of his hit “Burn” rewritten to suggest Hart had stopped being funny after money arrived.
Williams was the biggest surprise. Regina Hall introduced him with no warning, and Williams wasted no time framing his appearance: “I’m surprised they invited me. That’s how little star power you have. They had to invite your enemies.” He acknowledged the pair’s years of public hostility — reheated in 2024 when Williams called Hart an “industry plant” — by describing the night as “my Riyadh Comedy Festival, only one with a soul,” a direct jab at Hart’s controversial Saudi Arabia shows. The feud had first erupted in 2017 when Williams publicly attacked Tiffany Haddish’s comedy career before her film with Hart, and the two had traded insults across interviews and social media ever since.
Hart interrupted Williams mid-set and grabbed the mic. “We have an opportunity in real time,” he said. “This is live television to put our fucking beef behind us. I am offering you an olive branch of peace.” The crowd stood. The two embraced. In his own closing set, Hart briefly claimed the handshake was “the best acting I’ve ever done” and unleashed several more salvos at Williams — before landing on sincerity: “That beef is over. Katt and I are friends from today moving forward.”
Dwayne Johnson arrived late to pyrotechnics and rock music, WWE-style, announced he had a life-size tattoo of Hart on his privates, took Hart’s seat, and proposed a toast: “To brotherhood, to friendship, and I am always in your corner.” Hart, who said he had no idea Johnson was coming, returned the sentiment before joking that Johnson’s recent weight loss was not from Ozempic.
Brady, who endured his own Netflix roast two years ago, told Hart he was “the third-most-famous person in Jumanji.” Handler recalled giving Hart a weekly slot on her late-night show Chelsea Lately when he was still a rising act. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos watched from the audience alongside Jennifer Lopez, John Stamos, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
