Katt Williams explains what Kevin Hart said that made him finally forgive their years-long feud

Katt Williams explains how Kevin Hart’s private apology helped end their feud, paving the way for their reconciliation and Netflix collaboration.

Katt Williams says his reconciliation with Kevin Hart came down to something more personal than a Hollywood collaboration: an apology that addressed the issues behind their years of tension.

According to Complex, the comedian opened up about the relationship during an appearance on “Listen and Laugh,” the podcast hosted by Ice Cube and Mike Epps. In the episode released Nov. 13, Williams explained that although he had genuine reasons for disliking Hart, a private conversation eventually changed his position.

“I didn’t like the guy, and I had reasons that I felt that way,” Williams admitted. He recalled that when Hart reached out, he already had a mental list of things the comedian would need to address before they could move forward.

According to Williams, Hart delivered what he needed to hear.

“He said everything I needed to hear him say,” Williams explained, giving Hart credit for offering an apology he considered “worthy of [him] being forgiven.”

The distinction is important. Williams suggested that their conversation was not about negotiating a professional arrangement or agreeing to work together for financial reasons. He said the personal issues had to be resolved first.

“So there was no working involved in the conversation that we were having,” he added. “But then once that was behind us, now we can do whatever the work is.”

That distinction helps explain how two comedians who had spent years trading public criticism eventually found themselves working on the same project.

Their disagreement became a major entertainment talking point in January 2024, when Williams appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast and questioned Hart’s rise in Hollywood, describing him as an “industry plant.”

The comments reignited older tensions between the two, including Williams’ previous claims that Hart had benefited from opportunities he believed should have gone to him.

But the relationship had begun changing well before their public reunion. During a May 2026 appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” Hart revealed that he and Williams had privately spoken roughly eight months earlier and agreed to find a way to work together.

The public confirmation came during Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart” on May 10, when Williams made a surprise appearance. After the comedian’s set, Hart offered him an olive branch, telling him he wanted to move beyond their differences. The two shook hands and embraced.

Their professional relationship has since extended to Netflix’s comedy film “72 Hours,” which also features Mike Epps. TheGrio previously examined Williams’ appearance in the film, noting that the collaboration suggested their relationship had improved before the public reconciliation at the roast.

On the new podcast, Epps also joked about his own complicated relationship with Hart, teasing that he had joined the film’s cast despite still having issues with the comedian.

Williams’ latest comments, however, provide the clearest account yet of what changed his mind. For him, forgiveness came after Hart acknowledged the issues between them, not simply because an opportunity to work together presented itself.