Comedian Marlon Wayans Discusses His Journey To Accepting His Trans Son’s Transition

Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans got candid on the Nov. 10 episode of The Breakfast Club about accepting his trans son.

While discussing his approach to standup comedy, Wayans said he found funny in serious or bad topics and uses them as material, using Will Smith’s Oscar slap as an example. He then said he planned on making a comedy special, Skittles or Rainbow Child, to address his daughter’s transformation.

“Skittles or Rainbow Child is about my daughter,” he said. “I have a daughter that transitioned into a song. My daughter Amai (Zackary Wayans) is now Kai…so I talk about the transition. Not his…their transition but my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance.”

As a jokester, comedy runs through the 51-year-old’s veins. So, when Kai told him about his transition, Wayans said he responded, “‘You transitioning into your brother. You look just like him…I can’t tell the difference between him and Shawn.”

While discussing his son, the Fifty Shades of Black

actor understandably struggled with pronouns but was clearly trying. He ultimately settled on referring to Kai as “they/them.”

“I got to respect their wishes, and that takes…as a parent, I just want my kids to be free,” he said. “I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves. The more you know yourself, the more you can govern yourself, the more you live your truth, the happier your existence. So, if they can’t get that in the household with their father and their mother, how the f**k do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?”

Wayans said he used his platform to promote change, knowing comedy allows room for discussion. He encouraged other comedians to embrace the new, hitting the nail on the head by stating that old ways don’t lead to new things.