Comedian and actor Katt Williams is under the care of a doctor after police in Sumter, S.C. where Williams has relatives, were called regarding his "suspicious behavior," according to a report by TheItem.com in Sumter.

The report quoted Sumter Police Department Maj. Perry Herod as confirming that police responded to a call about Williams on Friday morning at the Mount Vernon Inn.

"And officers did talk with him, and then my understanding is he went on his own to Tuomey Hospital," Herod said, according to TheItem.com. The hospital would not provide any information on whether Williams was treated there, TheItem.com said.

MTV.com posted this statement from Williams' spokesperson Yvette Shearer: "Following an arduous 300 shows and an 18-month touring schedule that left him incredibly fatigued, Katt, a veteran of MTV's 'Wild 'N Out,' felt compelled to be with his family in an effort to deal with his stress. While doing so, he is under a doctor's care."

Speculation that Williams' behavior had become erratic intensified last month after he didn't show for a scheduled appearance as host of the BET Hip-Hop Awards at the Atlanta Civic Center. Atlanta rapper T-Pain, who wound up filling in for Williams, said on the red carpet — and on the show — that he was called at 4 a.m. the morning of the show with the request to be Williams' replacement.

That no-show led to a wild assortment of rumors — that Williams had lost the opportunity to host the show in a break-dance contest with T-Pain, that he had disappeared after a fight with his girlfriend, that he had been arrested. No one apparently ever confirmed any of the rumors.

The Atlanta episode was among a series of missed shows and rumors of bizarre behavior regarding Williams.

TheItem.com quoted Sumter attorney Garryl Deas as saying that Williams came to his office after his encounter with police. "He just said that he doesn't trust anyone anymore," Deas told TheItem.com. He said he thought "everyone has turned against him. He wasn't really coherent."

According to TheItem.com, Deas said Williams complained about rumors that Williams had vanished -- because of his failure to make some engagements -- and especially about a persistent rumor that he had been killed in a plane crash.

Deas told TheItem.com that Williams' family was seeking an order from a probate judge to force Williams to have a mental evaluation. Sumter Probate Judge Dale Atkinson, however, said neither he nor any of his staff issued a pickup order for anyone by the name of Katt Williams, according to TheItem.com.

Featured

The Midtown Atlanta skyline is shown in the background as an employee works in Cargill's new office, Jan. 16, 2025, in Atlanta.  (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com