Brad Williams On Diddy & Meek Mill, Mike Tyson, Justin Bieber, iShowSpeed, Peter Dinklage & Dwarfism
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Brad Williams' father intentionally 'picked on him first' and helped him write comebacks to prepare him for bullying, a strategy he now uses with his own dwarf daughter.
- ❖He believes 'cancel culture' for comedians is overstated, citing successful 'canceled' comics who sell out arenas, and states the market ultimately corrects jokes.
- ❖Williams views Peter Dinklage's public comments as directly responsible for Disney's decision to remove and then CGI dwarves from the live-action 'Snow White' film, costing dwarf actors work.
- ❖He refuses to be picked up by fans and has a rule against people putting their arm on his head, humorously threatening to 'punch you in the dick' if they do.
- ❖Williams met his wife on Tinder after a radio bit, a 5'7" Taekwondo instructor who once knocked out a man hitting on her at a bar.
- ❖He helped raise over half a million dollars for anti-bullying and anti-suicide charities for a bullied child, Quinn Bales, but faced false accusations of taking the money.
- ❖Williams named his daughter Elway, after John Elway, and regularly texts the former Broncos quarterback updates about 'Lilway.'
- ❖He believes people with disabilities, like Jewish and Black communities, often have the best sense of humor due to shared struggles.
Insights
1Peter Dinklage's Impact on 'Snow White' Casting
Brad Williams expresses genuine anger and frustration towards Peter Dinklage, asserting that Dinklage's public comments on a podcast about the 'offensive' nature of traditional dwarf portrayals in 'Snow White' directly led to Disney initially removing dwarves from the live-action film, then replacing them with CGI characters. Williams views this as a loss of work for dwarf actors and highlights Dinklage's perceived hypocrisy, given his own role in the 'most offensive movie to little people ever made,' 'Tiptoes,' where an average-sized actor played a dwarf.
Williams states, 'Thanks, Dinklage. Do you know that you took work away from me?' and later, 'When Peter Dinklage says you shouldn't do this to little people because it's offensive that he is in that movie [Tiptoes].' He details Disney's shift from 'Seven Dwarves' to 'Seven Magical Beings' and then to CGI dwarves, all after Dinklage's comments.
2Parenting a Dwarf Child: Preparation Over Protection
Williams' father prepared him for a challenging world by 'picking on him first' and helping him craft comebacks for bullies. This approach instilled resilience and a sharp wit, which became foundational for his comedy career. Now, as a father to a dwarf daughter, Williams adopts a similar strategy, actively writing comebacks with her to equip her for potential societal challenges, prioritizing her ability to navigate the world independently over shielding her from it.
Williams recounts, 'My dad knew that I would be picked on... 'All right, I'm going to pick on you first in the house.'... So my dad and I would write comebacks.' He applies this to his daughter: 'I'm still writing comebacks with her... I pity the little first grade that makes fun of her.'
3The Comedian's Perspective on 'Cancel Culture' and Joke Development
Williams dismisses the notion of 'cancel culture' significantly harming successful comedians, arguing that figures like Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan continue to sell out arenas despite controversy. He emphasizes that comedy is a live, iterative process where jokes are tested and refined based on audience reaction. A joke that bombs or offends too deeply is 'retooled' or discarded, demonstrating that the market, rather than a 'cancel mob,' ultimately shapes a comedian's material.
Williams lists 'canceled' comedians who are 'selling out arenas' and states, 'If that's the case, please cancel me.' He explains, 'We need to give it out to the audience. Cuz trust me, I've told jokes, many jokes that have bombed... I go, 'Okay, time to retool. Time to adjust.''
4The Unseen Challenges of Public Philanthropy
After starting a GoFundMe to bring a bullied dwarf child, Quinn Bales, to Disneyland, Williams experienced the unexpected negative side of public good deeds. Despite the GoFundMe raising over half a million dollars for anti-bullying and anti-suicide charities (at the family's request), Williams faced accusations of fraud and even death threats. This highlighted how quickly misinformation and malice can spread, leading him to now prefer doing good 'in the shadows.'
Williams initiated a GoFundMe for Quinn Bales, which went viral. He states, 'There were people trying to say that I was trying to raise money and like take it for myself.' He received 'death threats' and now does good 'in the shadows.'
Bottom Line
The experience of being a public figure with dwarfism often means being mistaken for other little people, leading to awkward or humorous situations, but also a shared sense of community and instant kinship with other dwarves.
This highlights the lack of diverse representation for little people in media, where individual identities are often blurred by a common physical trait. It also underscores the unique bond and understanding that forms within marginalized communities.
Content creators and media outlets can actively seek and promote diverse voices and faces within the dwarf community, moving beyond a few well-known figures to foster greater individual recognition and challenge stereotypical perceptions.
Dwarf women often prefer dating dwarf men, but also consider average-sized men for practical reasons like changing light bulbs, revealing a blend of social preference and pragmatic needs in relationships.
This insight provides a nuanced view of dating dynamics within the dwarf community, showing that while shared experience can be a strong draw, practical considerations and individual preferences also play a role, challenging simplistic assumptions about attraction.
Dating platforms could explore features that allow users to specify preferences related to physical characteristics while also emphasizing shared values and practical compatibility, catering to diverse relationship needs beyond typical filters.
Key Concepts
Preparation for the World That Is
Williams' father taught him to prepare for the world as it actually exists, with its biases and challenges, rather than the idealized world it 'should be.' This involved proactive training in verbal comebacks and resilience, a model Williams now applies to parenting his own daughter.
The Market Corrects Jokes
In comedy, Williams argues that true 'cancel culture' is rare. Instead, the audience (the market) provides immediate feedback; if a joke bombs or offends too many, the comedian adjusts or scraps it. This iterative process ensures material evolves to entertain rather than alienate, driven by the desire for success.
Defending the Attempt
Williams consistently defends a comedian's 'attempt' to make a joke, even if it fails or crosses a line initially. He emphasizes that jokes are refined through audience interaction and that the intention to entertain, rather than bully, is paramount. This model values creative exploration over immediate perfection.
Lessons
- Parents of children with unique challenges should proactively equip them with coping mechanisms and resilience, rather than solely shielding them, preparing them for the 'world that is' rather than the 'world that should be.'
- Comedians and content creators should embrace audience feedback as a market mechanism for refining material, understanding that initial failures or controversial reactions are part of the creative process, not necessarily career-ending 'cancellations.'
- When engaging in public philanthropy, anticipate and prepare for potential backlash, misinformation, and accusations, as even good intentions can be distorted, and consider conducting good deeds more privately to avoid such distractions.
Notable Moments
Brad Williams' wife, a 4th-degree black belt, knocked out a man who was hitting on her and disrespecting Williams at a Vegas whiskey bar, to the amusement of security.
This anecdote powerfully illustrates Williams' unique relationship dynamic, where his wife's physical prowess provides both security and a source of humor, challenging traditional gender roles and expectations in relationships.
Williams pranked John Stamos, who has a deathly fear of little people (achondrophobia), by running up to him and humping his leg, causing Stamos to 'squeal' and 'scream.'
This highlights Williams' willingness to use humor, even provocative humor, to confront and disarm discomfort surrounding dwarfism, and showcases a unique celebrity interaction.
After receiving news of his father's cancer remission just minutes before going on stage, Williams collapsed in tears backstage but then delivered one of his most 'magical' shows, sharing the news with the audience.
This moment reveals the profound emotional depth behind a performer's life, demonstrating how personal vulnerability can transform a performance into a deeply connecting and memorable experience for both the artist and the audience.
Quotes
"When Peter Dinklage says you shouldn't do this to little people because it's offensive that he is in that movie. That is all I will say about that."
"If one of us up like if Dinklage is on the Epstein list, we're all... We Man does some [shit] wrong, we're all. So, we all got to be good."
"I'm at the perfect height to punch you in the dick. So, do not do that."
"If a black kid sees me he just will just walk right up. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Freedom of speech does not exist for the speech you agree with. First Amendment is there for the speech you disagree with."
"I'm a dwarf. I'm not going to say I'm really happy that Giants won the World Series. I don't like the San Francisco Giants. I don't like the New York Giants. Anything Giant, I'm not a fan of, I'm not a friend of, I'm not supporting."
"I'm not going to lie, Shannon. It's hot. It's hot as people like, 'Don't you feel like less of a man because if some [shit] goes down, you're going to look at your woman and be like, 'Handle it.'' Like, nah, that's hot as I be like, 'Yeah, dude.'"
Q&A
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