Everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame. Ted Williams got his in 2011 after a video went viral of this homeless man with a buttery-smooth voice for radio. This earned him enough fame to become a rags-to-riches tale that brought Williams off the streets and into several valuable voice roles. Sadly, his star did not remain rising and the man struggled with several personal and professional setbacks. Provided below is a timeline of major events in Williams’ life since his discovery.
2011: Viral success
After the video was posted by “The Columbus Dispatch,” Williams received a book deal and job offers from Kraft, MSNBC and even the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Just one week after tasting fame, Williams appeared on The Dr. Phil Show and admitted his personal failure. Williams spent 12 days in a rehab facility before leaving under his own cognizance. Four months later, Williams would try rehab a second time, staying for a 90-day program and costing him his shot with the Cavaliers.
2012
Williams appeared on “Today” to discuss his book, which details bad parenting, drug addiction and prostitution.
2014
The Columbus Dispatch reconnected with Williams for an interview to check in on him. Despite maintaining respectable earning power, Williams admitted that he barely owned a thing due in part to some bad deals he had signed upon first gaining fame. The one bright spot of the interview was that he had maintained his sobriety.
2015
Williams announced his bid for the Oval office while on Scott Spears’ radio show, remarking that he was just a valid contender as Donald Trump. This run ended by the end of the summer.
Williams confessed that Alfred Battle, his ex-manager, has tried to involve him in a drug scheme involving 18 pounds of heroin in exchange for $10,000. Scott Anthony, Williams’ current manager shot that offer down. Battle was arrested in 2016, plead guilty and sentenced to eight years imprisonment.
Williams scored work with PepsiCo for its new ad campaign.
2016: Rebirth
The Columbus Dispatch did another check-in on Williams, discovering that he has gone on to host his own Columbus-based radio show, “The Golden Voice Show” at the same station he began his radio career with. Williams thanked God for his recovery and success.
Charitable acts
Williams was brought on to a show that was hosted by Oprah. The show served as a way of checking in on past guests and was where Williams shared that he was working with the sort of charities that helped him out when he was living on the streets. He also admitted that he was looking to open a laundromat where homeless people could get their clothes cleaned and a chance of employment.
Becoming a voter
October 2016 saw Williams exercise one of his rights as an American citizen by registering to vote. When asked about his decision, he quipped the people can either vote or keep their complaints to themselves.
Williams saw his decision to register as a way of using his political voice after enduring long periods of silence from homelessness; homeless people have no dedicated address to verify their ability to vote. Williams mentioned that registering was a major personal milestone signifying that it was the first time he as participated in any sort of election in more than two decades. He laughed when a reporter asked if he felt the day was special and countered that it was monumental.
