Meet Military Makeover’s Montel Williams

He’s an entrepreneur, an award-winning television host, a highly decorated veteran, and a wellness advocate. Now, Montel Williams is back on screen as host of Military Makeover, a series airing on Lifetime TV that celebrates and repays those who have served our country.

Williams was the first African-American Marine selected to attend the Naval Academy Prep School, graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy, and become commissioned as a Naval officer. Throughout his military career, he earned three Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals, and a number of other military awards and citations.

After leaving active duty in the late ‘80s, Williams inched his way into the public eye by traveling the country to speak at thousands of high schools and encourage teens. By 1991, his speaking engagements transitioned into a full-time daily talk show, where Williams was able to reach millions of Americans all at once. The Montel Williams Show launched in May 1991, airing alongside programs hosted by talk show legends like Oprah Winfrey and Phil Donahue.

In 1999, at the height of his television career, Williams experienced a spell of MS—a sharp and 24-hour neuropathic pain in his feet and legs. Over the years, Williams continues his search for solutions and treatments to help himself and others counteract the disease. He even established the Montel Williams MS Foundation to further the scientific study of MS, as well as provide financial assistance to select organizations and institutions conducting research and raising national awareness.

More recently, Williams revealed he survived a potentially deadly stroke. Now on The Balancing Act, Williams discusses how the experience and his new role on Military Makeover have changed his life forever.