Robin Williams seemed like such a sweet, gifted man! No one will ever forget his madcap one-liners delivered at a staccato pace and his incomparable wit. From Williams' breakout role in the lovably zany '70s TV sitcom Mork & Mindy to the film Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Academy Award in 1998, to the hilarious Mrs. Doubtfire, he was perennially popular. His suicide in 2014 at age 63 was a stunning tragedy. Now, however, a well-known director has come forward with the unsettling allegation that Williams tried to sabotage his stand-up comedy career "a couple of times" years ago, per Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's On Me podcast via the New York Post.
Paul Feig Claims That Robin Williams Would Make Feig's Stand-Up Comedy Performances Less Than Successful
Feig Reportedly Felt Kind Of Frustrated And Deflated
Paul Feig, 62, who directed Bridesmaids and created Freaks and Geeks, claims that Williams would perform an unanticipated set long ago at The Improv in Los Angeles when they both were young, up-and-coming funny men in the laugh business. When Williams did that, Feig says his own start time would inevitably be delayed. Then he would end up talking to a practically empty room.
Feig said, "I still wasn't one of the main guys so I'd have a later spot. I remember like, once it was my time to get up, there was a full audience and I was so excited and they come up like, 'Oh, Robin just wants to get up and do a quick set first' and I'm like, 'cool.'"
But the outcome for Feig wasn't so "cool."
When Robin Williams Finished His Set,The Audience Would Instantly Clear Out And Not Hang Around For Feig
According to Feig, "He did an hour and he finished and everybody left except for one woman who was waiting for her husband to come back from the bathroom."
Whether Williams' behavior was a conscious, deliberate act of undermining a rival or just a lack of consideration is unclear.
Paul Feig Chose Not To Make A Big Fuss About Williams' Actions
He Wanted To Be Diplomatic And Not Alienate Clout-Wielding Comedy Club Owners
Feig explained, "You were so held hostage, if you will, by The Improv and The Comedy Store because those were the- that's the place. That's where you're going to get discovered, that's where you're going to be a big shot so you had to do anything to stay in their good graces, to impress them."
Feig Eventually Landed On His Feet
His Resume Is Stellar
Paul Feig's career took a very different trajectory than the one he envisioned decades ago. He became a respected director, actor, producer, and writer. A true Hollywood heavyweight!
