Terrence K. Williams is a social commentator, comedian, and social media personality known for his conservative viewpoints and videos that feature humorous, passionate rants on current issues.
Williams got national attention on August 11 when his conspiracy theory video tying the death of Jeffrey Epstein to the Clintons was retweeted by President Donald Trump. “Died of SUICIDE on 24/7 SUICIDE WATCH ? Yeah right! How does that happen” Williams wrote in the tweet, “#JefferyEpstein had information on Bill Clinton & now he’s dead. I see #TrumpBodyCount trending but we know who did this!”
He goes on to imply that Jeffrey Epstein had information on the Clintons and that they were somehow responsible for his death so that “information don’t come out”. Williams said he had been forecasted Epstein’s death prior to his suicide.
“I’m not surprised, I told ya’ll last month this was going to happen.” he says in the video, “No for some odd reason, people that have information on the Clintons end up dead. And they usually die of suicide.” He goes on to say he has no idea who did it but that “the word around the street is that the Clintons did it.”
The two-minute video falsely claims that Epstein was on suicide watch in the prison at the time of his death. Williams also mentions the 1993 suicide of White House aide Vince Foster that conspiracy theorists have tied to the Clintons, implying that they were behind the deaths of Epstein and Foster.
President Trump presumably retweeted the video in response to the trending hashtag #TrumpBodyCount which users were tweeting to say he was involved in Epstein’s death. Tweets with the hashtag allege or imply that Trump was the one who orchestrated Epstein’s suicide due to information Epstein may have on the President due to their previous relationship. It is one of many conspiracy theories have been thrust into the mainstream since Epstein’s suicide.
President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were friends in the 1990s with Trump once calling him a “terrific guy”. According to a transcript of a video deposition Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre gave in 2016, she said “it’s true that he didn’t partake in any sex with us, (but) it’s not true that he flirted with me. Donald Trump never flirted with me.”
Williams is a self-described “comedian” and “actor” who’s videos blur the line between satire and real opinion which makes it hard to distinguish if this video was made in jest or meant to be taken seriously. Judging by his previous content, these are his actual views wrapped in his trademark delivery.
This isn’t the first conspiracy theory that Trump has promoted via Twitter. He once implied that Joe Scarborough should be investigated for the death of one of his former aides who passed away in 2001. He also suggested that the death of former Clinton aide Vince Foster was “very fishy” despite 5 official investigations finding no evidence of foul play.
Died of SUICIDE on 24/7 SUICIDE WATCH ? Yeah right! How does that happen
#JefferyEpstein had information on Bill Clinton & now he’s dead
I see #TrumpBodyCount trending but we know who did this!
RT if you’re not Surprised
Terrence K. Williams has a substantial following on social media which includes 388,000 followers on Facebook, 500,000+ followers on Twitter, and 252,000 followers on Instagram. In addition to his social media content, he is a headliner on the Deplorables Comedy Tour which promises to “unleash the conservative mindset, transcending politics and unabashedly mocking liberals.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Terrence K. Williams’ Career Started with a Viral Facebook Live Video
Williams was making private videos for a while before in his words he decided to hit the “public button” and publish his back catalog of content. He first gained notoriety for a Facebook live video that shows him eating a piece of fried chicken and ranting about how “black people on Facebook talking about…they want to move to Africa”
“Well move your a** to Africa, I ain’t going with ya. F*** that, I’ll buy your passport.” says Williams through bites of chicken, “Because you know what? People in Africa don’t even like blacks in America. So I don’t even know why you want to move there.”
In the 7 minute rant, Williams talks about the lack of social services and government assistance, absence of police, and the low quality of healthcare in the country. The video compares Africa to America and how he’s going to “stay here with my white folks.”
“A lot of people want to call me whitewashed. I ain’t whitewashed. Just because I don’t blame the white man for everything, OK? Just because you got 9 kids? That ain’t the white man’s fault” he says at one point.
Williams’ channel was eventually demonetized for violating the YouTube terms of service by posting “offensive” content.
He tried to cash in on his viral fame with some merchandise emblazoned with his catchphrase “I’m trying to figure some things out”.
This initial live rant started a style of selfie video that has made Williams a very popular conservative commentator.
2. He Was Suspended from Facebook for Posting Screenshots of Hate Mail
Terrence K Williams Facebook Page
Williams would regularly post abusive messages sent to him by people on Facebook. He attracted a significant amount of criticism for his viewpoints and support of Donald Trump which led to hate mail on social media.
Facebook suspended his account in 2018 after he posted one such message and his subsequent response. “You aren’t funny f****** battyman with your sucking d*** lips” said user Staciee Bougiee.
“‘Satan’ we rebuke you in the name and through the blood of Jesus Christ!” Replied Williams, “We cast you out of our life’s! In the name of Jesus we send you back to the pits of hell from where you came!”
The post was flagged and his account suspended because Facebook doesn’t allow users to “bully private individuals or harass anyone on Facebook.” Due to Williams’ significant following, posting content that showed the usernames of people sending him private messages would draw the ire of his fans, leading them to harass these users.
Williams commented on his suspension in an interview with Breitbart News saying, “I don’t post all my threats anymore because I fear that Facebook may suspend my account and I have a large platform and people that look forward to my messages every day and I’m going on tour so I don’t want to break any violations and throw everything away so I don’t post all my stuff all the time. Facebook said they would ban me permanently if I kept posting screenshots of the death threats.”
He tried to get Facebook to suspend the users sending him threats but said, “Facebook said that they reviewed the screenshots and said that none of the threats violated Facebook’s guidelines.”
3. He Fractured His Neck in a Car Accident
Hey guys! It’s hard typing this. I have fractured neck and back some spine issues. My lyft Driver almost flew off the bridge. I’ll be staying at the hospital for a few days! No White House for me😔 Thanks for the support. Logging off . Love y’all!
While on his way to the White House earlier this year, Terrence was involved in a car accident that left him with a fractured neck and injured spine. “My lyft Driver almost flew off the bridge. I’ll be staying at the hospital for a few days!” he tweeted during his recovery.
The accident occurred in Baltimore, Maryland while Williams was taking a Lyft to Washington. He posted a photo of the wreckage to Twitter.
My Lyft Driver
Williams made a full recovery from the accident.
4. Trump Called Williams a ‘Very Respected Conservative Pundit’
GettyPresident Donald Trump gives a statement about the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton before boarding to Washington at Morristown Airport on August 04, 2019.
President Trump defended his retweet of Williams’ conspiracy theory post to White House reporters on August 13. “That was a retweet, that wasn’t from me,” Trump said, telling the reporters that Williams is a reliable source.
“He’s a man who has half a million followers. The retweet was from somebody that’s a very respected conservative pundit, so I think it was fine,” Trump said.
Williams responded with a tweet of his own, writing, “President Trump just spoke about me when asked about retweeting my video. Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the kind words. They are going crazy over a retweet because they have nothing else to complain about since the Russia HOAX is over! I can’t wait to meet you Mr. President.”
He’s also been retweeted by Donald Trump before. When announcing the recent retweet from the President on his Facebook page, he said “PRESIDENT TRUMP RETWEETED ME A SECOND TIME!!!!!!” We were unable to locate the first time he was retweeted by President Trump.
5. He’s Originally from Oklahoma City and Grew up in Foster Homes
According to his website, Williams “was born and raised in Oklahoma City, where he spent the first 15 years of his life growing up as a child of the system, in and out of unstable foster-care homes.”
He posted on his Instagram that his mother was “addicted to crack cocaine” and “had 9 children by 6 different fathers”. She eventually lost her kids to foster care.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified an Instagram post by Terrence Williams as being a photo of him meeting President Trump at the White House. The photo was actually of Kanye West’s meeting with Trump and Williams was just sharing it on his own page to show his support for Kanye and Trump.