During the now-viral episode of “Club Shay Shay,” Katt Williams didn’t hold back when discussing the lack of crossover success experienced by fellow comedian, Gary Owen. Katt likened Gary’s situation to not joining the Illuminati, poking fun at rapper, Ludacris, for allegedly affiliating with the ‘secret society.’ But now, Gary Owen has his own stories to share about the situations that go down behind the scenes, and he agrees with much of what Katt is saying…especially the parts about Steve Harvey and Rickey Williams (although he and Rickey are cool now).
According to Gary, one of his attempts to break into the mainstream was through a partnership with none other than Steve Harvey — whom Gary described as having a “stand-off-ish” type of personality.. Gary thought he and Steve would team up and conquer the entertainment world, but instead, he found himself hidden backstage doing voiceovers for Steve’s talk show. This is the same show that Katt Williams had previously criticized Steve Harvey for losing to Kelly Clarkson.
Gary Owen opened up about how working with Steve was affecting his stand-up career and ultimately hurting his pockets. Due to the tight schedule and commitments with Steve’s show, Gary was missing out on other stand-up gigs that could have been more financially rewarding. It became clear to Gary that this partnership wasn’t working out when he scored a gig on the popular show “Hip Hop Squares” hosted by Deray Davis. Gary revealed that he made four times more money doing just three episodes of “Hip Hop Squares” than he did in two weeks with Steve Harvey.
Katt Williams didn’t stop at Gary Owen; he also had some choice words for comedian Rickey Smiley. Gary backed up Katt’s claims, recalling his own encounters with Rickey on the set of the movie “Friday After Next.” According to Gary, Rickey had a cold attitude towards him back in the day. However, Gary says Rickey has changed over and became more approachable and friendly over the years.
By the way, although Katt dogged the hell outta Cedric the Entertainer in that same “Club Shay Shay” interview, Gary says he will never say anything bad about Ced.’ According to Gary, Cedric is ‘one of the nicest people on the planet’ and is the polar opposite from Steve Harvey, when it comes to being down to earth and friendly with everyone he comes across.
But the challenges for Gary don’t end there. He hinted at being a victim of the #MeToo movement, suggesting that a Hollywood executive had inappropriate behavior towards him. However, Gary made it clear that he never compromised his integrity to achieve success in the entertainment industry.
It’s unfortunate to hear that someone as talented as Gary Owen and others faced these difficulties on their journeys to success. This just serves as a reminder that the road to success ain’t always easy, but staying true to oneself is essential.