Ms. Pat Covers Bacon Magazine and Opens Up About the House She Almost Lost While Pursuing the American Dream

The Emmy-nominated comedian, producer, and podcast host talks about her new memoir, Ms. American Dream, in Bacon Magazine’s latest digital cover story

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, October 6, 2026 – Bacon Magazine today revealed comedian, actress, producer, and podcast host Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams-Lee as its newest digital cover star. The exclusive cover story centers on her new memoir, Ms. American Dream: A Memoir of Making It, No Matter What (Atria Books), the follow-up to her NAACP Image Award-nominated memoir Rabbit. The book, written with Jeannine Amber, is on sale now.

In her interview with Bacon Magazine: Black Women In Business: Editor-in-Chief Andrea Walker, Ms. Pat talks about starting over with nothing after moving from Atlanta to Indianapolis, nearly losing her first house to a home equity loan and a balloon payment she didn’t understand, and the mindset shift that redefined what the American dream means to her. She also opens up about leaving an abusive relationship, learning to love herself first, and the husband of 33 years who stood by her through it all.

“I realized the American dream to me is happiness. You shouldn’t be able to buy the American dream,” Ms. Pat told Bacon Magazine.

At the heart of the book is the turning point Ms. Pat credits for everything that followed: walking away from that relationship and choosing herself before she ever met her husband. Asked what she wants Ms. American Dream to pass on to the next woman nobody is betting on yet, her answer came back to that same lesson.

“Learn how to love yourself. A lot of the reason why I went through the things I went through is because I did not love myself,” she said. She also urged readers to stay focused on their own vision, no matter who doubts it. “People ain’t going to believe in your dream. Just keep believing in what you believe in and speak it. It will come true.”

Ms. Pat stars in The Ms. Pat Show, the Emmy-nominated BET+ sitcom based on her life, and headlines comedy clubs and theaters nationwide. Her special Ms. Pat: Y’all Wanna Hear Something Crazy? streams on Netflix, and she hosts the podcast The Patdown with Ms. Pat. She also presides over the court show Ms. Pat Settles It and hosts the weekly YouTube cooking series Whiskin’ It All with Ms. Pat.

“Ms. Pat built everything she has without a road map, and she is honest about what those lessons cost her,” said Andrea Walker, Editor-in-Chief of Bacon Magazine. “Our readers are women building businesses and careers on their own terms, and her story speaks directly to them.”

Ms. Pat will appear live in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 22, at 7 p.m. PT for a moderated, ticketed conversation at Malik Books on The Bridge at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

The full cover story is available here.

About Bacon Magazine

Bacon Magazine is a digital publication for women who bring home the bacon. Since 2022, Bacon has celebrated Black women who lead, build and influence, with cover stories, profiles and conversations spanning business, executive leadership, culture and entrepreneurship. Bacon Magazine has featured cover stars including Naturi Naughton, Nzinga Imani, Vanessa Simmons, Goapele and Eric Bellinger, with stories reaching readers nationwide through national syndication.

Founded by Editor-in-Chief Andrea Walker, Bacon pairs celebrity cover stories with practical business education, entrepreneur spotlights and grant opportunities for women building companies and careers on their own terms. Bacon also publishes The Sizzle, its newsletter delivering stories, opportunities, and business news straight to readers’ inboxes, and has partnered with brands including Anastasia Beverly Hills. Every story is told with the same goal: to put women who are building something in the spotlight they have earned.