With her BET sitcom, “The Ms. Pat Show,” hitting mainstream success and a new venture in the reality TV realm with her courtroom series, “Ms. Pat Settles It,” Comedian Ms. Pat is a long way from her days of struggling.
In fact, her tour, which makes a stop in Houston on Nov. 18, is called “Ya Girl Done Made it.”
“After 20 years, I’m getting to see all of that work that I put in, come to light,” Ms. Pat said. “I’m so blessed. I’m a little Black girl from the inner city of Atlanta, two kids by a married man, dropped outta school in the eighth grade. Here I am the executive producer and the star of two shows. Sometimes, I just sit there and think, how the heck did this happen? But it happened through hard work, believing in myself, loving me, and God guided me all the way.”
Those catching her live at the Cullen Performance Hall will witness an evening of fresh material from her recent Netflix special, “Y’all Wanna Hear Something Crazy.”
“You’re gonna get real authentic funny. You’ll never hear a rehashed joke in my show because I’m a comedian first, everything else comes second. So I work really hard. The material that we put out there, we try to make sure it’s relatable and then second, it has to be funny. And I think that’s what people appreciate more. And it’s edgy,” she said.
Despite her television ventures, the allure of live gigs and stand-up remains strong. “Stand-up is the root,” she emphasizes. “It’s what I truly own. They can take my TV shows, but they can’t take my jokes. I own Ms. Pat. They only own the TV version.”
“It’s all new,” she promises. “I’ve been working on it for about eight months, building it into a solid hour for the next one.”
“I’m going to share crazy stories, express myself, and ensure we have a blast like always,” she adds.
A Passion for touring
While some might find life on the road taxing, for Miss Pat, it’s a much-needed break. “I can’t wait to get to Houston. Every city feels like a mini vacation. I’m married, so leaving my husband for the weekend keeps the marriage strong,” she jokes.
Her BET series, based around her life, has defied TV trends with its classic multi-cam format reminiscent of shows like Roseanne, and recently was nominated for an Emmy.
“Great writing and a real audience without canned laughter make it special,” she reveals. “It’s like a play, and we’ve been doing it for so long now.”
Her courtroom series, Ms. Pat Settles It, puts her in a familiar yet humorous setting. “I’m not a judge, but I am the judge,” she clarifies. “It’s like Judge Judy with a comedic twist. I get to say what everyone wished they could.”
While the show has real cases, she’s not afraid to add her touch. “Real money, real people—sometimes I even gave out extra money, much to the producer’s dismay,” she chuckles.
Dreaming big
Despite her career highs, Miss Pat’s ambitions are sky-high. “I want an Emmy, two more shows, another hour special, and a new book,” she declares. “Oh, and a husband with four arms!”
However, when it comes to partnerships and success, she stays grounded and grateful.
“When I tell you the support is real out there, baby,” she said. “They are coming from everywhere to see me. I’m just so grateful to look out there in the audience and see 2,000 people, 3,000 people that came to enjoy what I’m doing. So I’m just happy.”
Check out some of her appearances:
