Comedian Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams-Lee is deepening her partnership with Paramount under a new deal with BET Studios covering producing, writing and performing across BET and Paramount platforms. As part of this, VH1 has ordered a new comedy competition series, "America's Funniest People," which she will star in, while her existing courtroom comedy "Ms. Pat Settles It" has been renewed for a fourth season. The moves reflect Paramount's continued investment in Ms. Pat's distinctive comic voice across multiple formats.

"America's Funniest People," produced by V10 Entertainment (the team behind "America's Funniest Videos"), will see content creators compete for a cash prize by showcasing outrageous social media content, pranks and stunts. Ms. Pat is executive producer alongside John Stevens, Carter Skeath and Rick De Oliveira, with Saterah Moore as co-executive producer. Meanwhile, "Ms. Pat Settles It," produced by 495 Productions and executive produced by Ms. Pat, SallyAnn Salsano and Ebony McClain, sees her preside as judge over real-life cases with a jury including celebrity guests and fellow comedians.