Brad Williams (born January 13, 1984) is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. He was born with achondroplasia.

Early years

Williams was born with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism. His condition plays a large part in both his stand-up comedy and his television roles. He attended Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, California, and the University of Southern California. He withdrew from the university to pursue his acting and comedy career.

Comedy career

Williams got his start at age 19 by attending a Carlos Mencia live comedy show. While he was in the crowd, Mencia made jokes about dwarves. The people sitting close to Williams were afraid to laugh and appear insensitive. Mencia noticed this, then noticed Williams and asked him to join him on stage. Williams cracked a few jokes and impressed Mencia. Mencia then asked Williams to try stand-up and be his opening act on the road. Williams has been Mencia's opening act for multiple tours, opening up shows on both the Mind of Mencia tour and the popular Punisher Tour. In 2022, Williams was hired as the lead comic of the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show Mad Apple.

Television appearances

Williams appeared on Mind of Mencia, playing several roles, including playing a dwarf whore ("whorf"), the leader of an all dwarf basketball team, joining Mencia at a Renaissance faire, and giving a speech about his hatred of podiums. For St. Patrick's Day 2008, Brad, dressed as a leprechaun, made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. For Halloween 2008, Brad dressed up as Child's Play character Chucky for a skit on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Stand-up releases

In April 2011, Williams released his first full-length comedy album called Coming Up Short. On April 14, 2014, Williams started hosting the About Last Night podcast with comedian/actor Adam Ray. Williams had his first one-hour comedy special, Brad Williams: Fun Size, on May 8, 2015, on Showtime. His second one-hour comedy special, Brad Williams: Daddy Issues, aired on May 20, 2016, on Showtime. Williams was a frequent guest and "friend of the show" to The Kevin and Bean Show, broadcast weekday mornings on KROQ 106.7FM, Los Angeles, California. He appeared on Kevin and Bean's "April Foolishness" comedy show in 2012, 2013 and 2015 alongside such comedians as Bob Saget, Jay Mohr, Jim Jeffries, Bill Burr, and Eddie Izzard.

Personal life

Williams has been confused with Jason "Wee Man" Acuña from Jackass because of their similar appearance. Williams has also been confused with professional wrestler Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl. In 2014, Williams made comments on the podcast Getting Doug with High during which he admitted to and described committing rape by deception. The episode was subsequently taken down, although clips of the episode reappeared on YouTube in 2019, prompting social media discussion about consent and widespread criticism of Williams’ actions. On January 14, 2020, Williams tweeted an apology on Twitter where he stated that the story was fabricated and intended as a joke. In 2017, Williams married taekwondo instructor Jasmine Gong. In January 2020, the couple had a daughter, who also is an achondroplastic dwarf.

Discography

Filmography

Television

Film