Montel Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Montel Williams
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Williams at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
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| Born |
Montel Brian Anthony Williams
July 3, 1956 |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) |
| Occupation | Television host, actor, motivational speaker |
| Spouse(s) |
Rochele See
(m. 1982; div. 1989)Grace Morley
(m. 1992; div. 2000)Tara Fowler
(m. 2007) |
| Children | 4 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Marine Corps United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1974–1996 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant commander |
| Unit | Naval Intelligence Naval Security Group |
| Awards |  Meritorious Service Medal Navy Expeditionary Medal Navy Superior Public Service Award |
Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956) is an American television host and actor. He is famous for hosting The Montel Williams Show, a popular talk show that aired from 1991 to 2008. He also hosts The Balancing Act and Military Makeover with Montel on Lifetime. Montel Williams started the Montel Williams MS Foundation after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. He is also well-known for his long service in both the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy. He retired after 22 years of military service.
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Early Life and Education
Montel Williams was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 3, 1956. He went to Andover High School in Linthicum, Maryland. There, he was elected class president in his junior and senior years. He was a good student, an athlete, and a musician. He was also active in student government in Annapolis, Maryland.
Williams grew up as a Roman Catholic and served as an altar server. His father, Herman Williams, Jr., was a firefighter. In 1992, he became Baltimore's first African American fire chief. Montel's mother is biracial.
Montel Williams' Career
Military Service
Williams joined the United States Marine Corps in 1974. He completed a special one-year course at the Naval Academy Preparatory School. In 1975, he became the first Black Marine accepted into the four-year officer training program at the U.S. Naval Academy.
He graduated in 1980 with a degree in general engineering. He also studied international security affairs. He then trained as a naval cryptologic officer. He spent 18 months in Guam working for naval intelligence. Later, he supervised cryptologic officers at Fort Meade, Maryland. There, Williams worked for the National Security Agency. He was involved in the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983, called Operation Urgent Fury. He helped secure the release of U.S. military personnel captured in other countries.
After 17 years of active duty and five years as a reservist, Williams retired in 1996. He left the Naval Reserve as a lieutenant commander. He served a total of 22 years. He received many awards for his service. These include two Meritorious Service Medals.
In 2008, Williams received the Navy Superior Public Service Award. This award honored his support for Sailors, Marines, and their families.
The Montel Williams Show
Williams started The Montel Williams Show in 1991. It was shown across the country by CBS Television Distribution. In 1996, Williams won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. The show's popularity was highest during the 1996–97 season.
He was nominated again for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2002. The show itself was nominated for Outstanding Talk Show in 2001 and 2002. On May 16, 2008, the last episode of The Montel Williams Show aired.
In 2010, Oprah Winfrey invited Williams and other former talk show hosts to her show. This was the first time they had all appeared together. A self-declared psychic named Sylvia Browne was a frequent guest on the show.
Acting Roles
Williams has also acted in TV shows and plays. He played a Navy SEAL, Lieutenant Curtis Rivers, in three episodes of JAG. He also produced and starred in a TV series called Matt Waters in 1996. In that show, he played an ex-Navy SEAL who became a high school teacher.
In 1997, he played Lt Col Northrop in the movie The Peacekeeper. In 2002, he played a judge on the soap opera All My Children. He also appeared as himself on the show in 2003. In 2004, he hosted American Candidate, a political reality show. Williams has also guest-starred on The New Adventures of Robin Hood and Guiding Light.
Williams appeared in a Perry Mason movie in 1993. It was called The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host. He also did voice acting in the 2008 film War, Inc.. In 2019, Williams appeared as himself in an episode of the Fox drama The Resident.
Production Work
Williams produced and narrated a documentary film called 4CHOSEN: The Documentary. This film tells the story of the 1998 New Jersey Turnpike shooting. In 1999, Williams directed a film called Little Pieces.
Spokesperson Roles
Williams was a national spokesperson for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). This program helps people with low incomes get free or cheaper prescription drugs. In 2007, he had a misunderstanding with a young reporter. Williams later apologized for his reaction.
In 2010, Williams became a spokesperson for the Poker Training Network. He also became a spokesperson for MoneyMutual, a company that connects people to lending services. In 2015, the New York State Department of Financial Services investigated MoneyMutual. The company was fined and told to stop advertising to New Yorkers. The department stated that Williams was not found to have broken any laws.
Other Activities
On April 6, 2009, Williams began hosting a daily radio show called Montel Across America. The radio station stopped broadcasting in 2010.
He has also hosted infomercials for products like the Living Well Healthmaster blender. These infomercials are similar to his old talk show. In 2010, Williams started doing infomercials for LifeLock, a company that helps protect against identity theft.
On October 1, 2014, Williams spoke to a Congressional committee. He supported Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi.
Williams was once a Republican. He left the party in 1993 and became an independent. He supports LGBT rights. He supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016. He said that Donald Trump posed a "clear and present danger" to the nation.
In September 2021, Williams joined the board of directors for Better for You Wellness, Inc.
Health and Advocacy
Williams has marketed special plant-based products. He spent years working to develop these products to help treat his own multiple sclerosis. He has openly stated that he uses certain plant-based treatments. He says they help ease his multiple sclerosis-caused pain. Williams has become a strong supporter of the medical use of certain plants. He supports efforts to pass laws for medical use in the United States.
Williams says that snowboarding is his "best therapy" for multiple sclerosis. He commented that when he snowboards, his brain seems to connect directly to his legs. He feels a real physical change after snowboarding. The benefits can last for days.
Williams was hospitalized on May 30, 2018. He had a type of stroke while working out at a gym.
Personal Life
Montel Williams has two daughters, Ashley (born 1984) and Maressa (born 1988), with his first wife, Rochele See. He married Grace Morley on June 6, 1992. They have a son, Montel Brian Hank Williams (born 1993), and a daughter, Wyntergrace Williams (born 1994). The couple divorced in 2000.
In 2001, Williams briefly dated Kamala Harris. She later became the Vice President of the United States. Williams tweeted in 2020 that he had "great respect" for Harris.
In July 2006, Williams proposed to Tara Fowler, an American Airlines flight attendant. They married on a beach in Bermuda on October 6, 2007.
Williams participated in the 2007 World Series of Poker. He planned to donate any winnings to American families affected by the Iraq War. He was eliminated on Day 2 of the event.
Four months after appearing on an episode of Touched by an Angel, Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. The next year, he created the MS Foundation. This is a nonprofit organization focused on research and education for multiple sclerosis.
