MS. PAT SIGNS EXPANDED EXCLUSIVE OVERALL DEAL WITH BET STUDIOS, WITH CONTENT SPANNING ACROSS PARAMOUNT PLATFORMS & ABILITY TO SELL TO THIRD- PARTY STUDIOS
Agreement Spans Producing, Writing, and Performing Across BET and
Paramount Platforms; Encompasses Hit Series “The Ms. Pat Show” and “Ms. Pat Settles It”
NEW YORK, NY— June 22, 2026 — BET Studios today announced an expanded exclusive overall agreement with Creator, Comedian, Actress and Executive Producer, Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams-Lee. Under the multi-year deal, Williams-Lee will develop, produce, write, and perform in original programming across BET’s platforms and businesses and third-party platforms across Paramount, along with the ability to sell content to third-party studios.
The agreement encompasses Williams-Lee's existing slate, including the critically acclaimed scripted comedy “The Ms. Pat Show,” which has been renewed for a sixth season. Building upon the three Emmy nominations the R-rated sitcom has already garnered, Paramount and BET have expanded the show's Emmy submissions to include the directing, writing, guest star, and comedy series categories. Pat’s slate also includes the hit unscripted courtroom series “Ms. Pat Settles It,” currently in its third season. The new deal deepens a creative partnership that has become one of the defining relationships in BET's original programming era.
"Ms. Pat is one of the most distinctive voices working in television today, and expanding our partnership reflects both the strength of what she's already created and our confidence in what's ahead. We're proud to give her a broader platform across BET and beyond," said Aisha Summers-Burke, EVP, Head of Creative, BET Studios.
“At BET, we take pride in championing the voices that move our culture forward. Ms. Pat is one of those voices; bold, authentic, and deeply rooted in the lived experiences of our community. We're proud to give her an even greater platform to tell the stories that connect us all,” said Louis Carr, President, BET.
"BET took a chance on my story when it was messy, loud, and unapologetically mine,” said Williams-Lee. "This deal means I get to keep telling the truth, keep building, and keep making room for folks who've never seen themselves on screen. I'm just getting started!”
The sixth season of “The Ms. Pat Show” will stream on Paramount+, the new streaming home for BET+ content, bringing the beloved series to a global platform with nearly 80 million subscribers. In conjunction with the hit series, Pat’s unscripted court show “Ms. Pat Settles It” returns with new episodes of season three premiering Monday, June 30 at 9 PM ET/CT.
“The Ms. Pat Show” is produced by Imagine Entertainment, Jordan E. Cooper's Cookout Entertainment, and Lee Daniels Entertainment, the series is executive produced by Brian Grazer, Lee Daniels, Jon Radler, Deb Evans, Patrick Walsh, and Rose Catherine Pinkney, alongside Williams-Lee and Cooper. Director Mary Lou Belli has received three consecutive Emmy® nominations for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (2022, 2023, 2024) for her work on the show.
“Ms. Pat Settles It” is executive produced by Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams-Lee, SallyAnn Salsano, Ebony McClain, and Frank Miccolis for 495 Productions.
Williams-Lee is represented by IAG, Tigerman Management, and Reed Smith.
About BET Media Group
The BET Media Group, a unit of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY), is the world’s largest media company rooted in community, culture and connection for the Black community. For over four decades, BET has served as a trusted home for Black audiences, amplifying authentic stories, elevating Black voices and creating spaces where culture thrives and community comes together.
Through a powerful portfolio of brands including BET, BET+, BET Gospel, BET HER, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Studios and VH1, BET connects audiences across cable, streaming, digital, live events, studios and global platforms, delivering culturally resonant content that reflects the depth, creativity and impact of the Black experience. For more information about BET, visit
www.bet.com and follow @BET on social platforms. For more BET announcements, visit
paramountpressexpress.com/bet/.
About Ms. Pat
Declared by The Huffington Post as “the real hero of sitcom TV,” Patricia Williams-Lee (aka Ms. Pat) is a comedian, author, radio host, podcaster, and actress. Her critically acclaimed BET+ sitcom The Ms. Pat Show, produced by Lee Daniels and Brian Grazer, earned BET its first ever Emmy recognition with three nominations. The series has shattered viewership records on the streamer with dedicated fans crashing the app multiple times as they clamor to watch. Based on Pat’s real-life story of an inner-city drug dealer turned suburban mom, the show has also been a critical darling with The Hollywood Reporter raving “Think Roseanne of the 1980s and 1990s, but even rawer” and Essence Magazine gushing “Ms. Pat is headed for the comedy stratosphere.” Pat also hosts the popular weekly court show Ms. Pat Settles It where she takes hold of the gavel to settle people’s everyday disputes using her signature raw, unfiltered, hilarious sensibility. The series debuted on BET in 2023 and instantly became another hit for the rapidly emerging entertainment mogul. Her hour standup special Y’All Wanna Hear Something Crazy?, directed by comedy legend Robert Townsend, is also currently streaming on Netflix. The New York Times described the hour as “superb material” while Indiewire offered “There are a lot of comedy specials on Netflix these days, but Ms. Pat breaks through the noise.” She hosts her own top-rated comedy podcast The Patdown and her own cooking show Whiskin’ It All with Ms. Pat.
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BET Media Group also today announced the return of the hit courtroom series MS. PAT SETTLES IT, with new episodes of season three premiering Tuesday, June 30 at 9 PM ET/CT. Ms. Pat will be back on the bench, calling on a jury of her friends, celebrity guests, and fellow comedians to help settle real-life cases where everything from family ties and friendships to messy breakups and rocky romances hang in the balance. This season, expect to see some familiar faces in the courtroom, as a few of the cases include popular influencers bringing their drama—and their followers—with them.
Ms. Pat and the "Jury of Her Peers" preside over a fresh batch of real court cases encompassing a myriad of issues, including imposter designer karma, family conflicts, and court-ordered marriage ultimatums. Each case balances intense drama with uproarious comedy, mirroring Ms. Pat's own life experiences. At the heart of every dispute are everyday people navigating family and relationship dynamics, all bound by Ms. Pat's binding verdicts.
Celebrity jurors include Carmen Barton, Deray Davis, Karlous Miller, Nene Leakes, Jasmin Brown, Safaree Samuels, and Navv Greene.
MS. PAT SETTLES IT is executive produced by Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams-Lee, SallyAnn Salsano, Ebony McClain, and Frank Miccolis for 495 Productions.
MS. PAT SETTLES IT is one of several series featured in Comedy Fun Night on BET, a curated weekly comedy destination built around one simple promise: one night, all kinds of funny. Bringing together fan-favorite talent, familiar hits, and bold comedic voices, the lineup delivers a full spectrum of comedy, from easy, feel-good laughs to sharper late-night edge, giving viewers one place to unwind and laugh every Tuesday beginning June 30.
Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!
