Montel Williams

• Born: July 3, 1956
• Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland

Entertainer and writer

Best known for his military career, his long-running talk show, The Montel Williams Show, and his battle with multiple sclerosis, Williams has had an impact in many diverse fields because of his leadership and rhetorical skills.

Early Life

Montel Brian Anthony Williams was born July 3, 1956, in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Herman Williams, was a firefighter and the city’s first African American fire chief. At Andover High School, Williams excelled in academics and athletics. He was elected class president in his junior and senior years.

After graduating from high school in 1974, Williams enlisted in the Marine Corps and was selected for the Naval Academy Preparatory School. The following year, he was admitted to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1980, Williams became the first African American to graduate from both the US Navy’s prep school and Annapolis. In addition to studying Chinese, he majored in general engineering and minored in international security affairs. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Navy as an ensign.

While serving on the USS Sampson as an intelligence officer with a specialization in cryptology, Williams earned a degree in Russian. He also was awarded numerous medals. After a dozen years of service, Williams was honorably discharged from the Navy as a lieutenant commander.

Life’s Work

In 1988, Williams began counseling families of servicemen and -women under his command. Because of his rhetorical gifts and interpersonal skills, he was commissioned by the Navy to travel around the country speaking about leadership and overcoming obstacles.

Three years later, in 1991, Williams debuted The Montel Williams Show. The popular talk show, which tackled a wide array of issues, earned him a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 1996. He was later nominated for Outstanding Talk Show in 2001 and 2002 and Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2002. After a seventeen-year run, the television show ended in 2008.

Williams received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1999. He publicly disclosed his battle with the disease, contacted experts at Harvard University, traveled to Sweden and was treated at the Karolinska Institute, and dedicated his life to finding a cure. He later created the Montel Williams MS Foundation to raise awareness of the disease.

Also in 1999, Williams received the Larry Stewart Leadership and Inspiration Award from the Entertainment Industries Council. A year later, in 2000, Williams created Mountain Movers Press, a publishing company focusing on progressive works and health issues. He has written several best-selling books, including Life Lessons and Reflections (2000), Mountain, Get Out of My Way (1996), Climbing Higher (2004), Living Well: 21 Days to Transform Your Life, Supercharge Your Health, and Feel Spectacular (2008), and Living Well Emotionally: Break Through to a Life of Happiness (2009). His work has touched upon various aspects of inspiration, leading a purpose-filled and healthy life, and finding a cure for MS.

Williams received the Beacon Award in 2002 from the New York State Psychological Association for his self-help books and television show. The organization honored his “commitment to bringing psychological information to a large audience of real people.” In 2003, he was presented with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ Disability Awareness Award for awareness and for being an encouraging role model to the masses. Williams took a small hit to his reputation in 2015 when he was accused of promoting a payday loan company that was seen as financially harmful to minorities and those struggling through financial crises. Williams also continued to act in and direct television shows, films, and plays. With his personal experience serving in the military, in 2018, he took over as host and a coproducer of the Lifetime series Military Makeover, which allowed him to further help veterans by renovating their homes and offering encouragement. By 2019, he had additionally spent several years serving as one of the hosts of the televised Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade special. The documentaries Architects of Denial, Hate among Us, and Sky Blossom, for which he was an executive producer, were released in 2017, 2019, and 2020, respectively. In 2023, Williams hosted Variety's fourth annual Salute to Service specia.

Significance

Williams’s career has been diverse and prolific. As a young man, he became the first African American to graduate from both the Naval Academy Prep School and the US Naval Academy. He left the military as a highly decorated officer. In later years, he received accolades for his work on The Montel Williams Show and wrote several best-selling books. He used his multiple sclerosis diagnosis to raise awareness of the debilitating disease and search for a cure.

Bibliography

Doalsinski, Amanda. "Montel Williams Supports Vets with 'Military Makeover' Home Renovations." Military Officers Association of America, 14 July 2020, www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2020-news-articles/montel-williams-supports-vets-with-military-makeover-home-renovations/. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

Lowney, Kathleen S. Baring Our Souls: TV Talk Shows and the Religion of Recovery. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1999.

“Montel Williams-Backed Payday Loan Advertiser Fined $2.1 Million.” NBC News, 12 Mar. 2015, www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/payday-lender-backed-montel-williams-fined-2-1-million-n321401. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

Thompson, Jaden. "'Salute to Service' Special Hosted by Montel Williams to Honor Military Joureys." Variety, 9 Nov. 2023, variety.com/2023/tv/focus/montel-williams-variety-salute-to-service-special-1235782777/. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

Williams, Montel, and William Doyle. Living Well Emotionally: Break Through to a Life of Happiness. New York: New American Library, 2009.

Williams, Montel, and Lawrence Grobel. Climbing Higher. New York: New American Library, 2004.

Williams, Montel, and Daniel Paisner. Mountain, Get Out of My Way: Life Lessons and Learned Truths. New York: Warner Books, 1996.