SZA Reveals Katt Williams Called Her Mentally Ill, But “As A Compliment”

SZA is officially adding the actress title to her resume, and she recently revealed a memorable exchange she had while on set. The New Jersey-bred singer shared that Katt Williams, who is also a part of the movie, jokingly told her she was “mentally ill.”

The “20 Somethings” crooner shared the story during her new Harper’s Bazaar interview with Kendrick Lamar. “We shot a movie last night. I’ve never shot a movie before, so I was freaking out,” she began the conversation. “It’s a lot of being scared to be myself. I’m either gonna pretend it never happened or not show up to the premiere.”

She delved into meeting the revered comedian, and added that she didn’t take his comment offensively. “I met Katt Williams [on set]. He told me I was mentally ill, like, as a compliment,” SZA continued. “He was like, ‘Sa, I believe you might have some mental—’ And I was like, ‘Illness?’ And he was like, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Oh, welcome.’”

The singer then used her anecdote as a transition into asking K. Dot about his mental state. The two dove into his childhood, spirituality, and more.

“I think it’s going back to my inner child, right? I was trying to understand myself, trying to find people I could relate to. How to identify myself outside myself. It sounds crazy to a lot of people,” Lamar said. “I really can see myself out of my body. When I do that, I have no judgment toward it. It’s too many eyes on me to not remove myself. That shit is scary to anybody else.”

The movie set SZA mentioned is likely referring to the previously announced Lawrence Lamont-directed production, which is slated to debut on Jan. 24, 2025. The film is written by Syreeta Singleton, produced by Issa Rae‘s Hoorae, and will also star Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams, Joshua Neal, Aziza Scott, Patrick Cage, and Amin Joseph. A title for the R-rated comedy has not yet been revealed.