Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans is grappling with change but determined to learn more to make his oldest child happy and “free” after they came out as transgender.
“I have a daughter that transitioned into a son,” the 51-year-old “Scary Movie” and “White Chicks” star revealed last week on the “The Breakfast Club” podcast. “My daughter Amai is now Kai,” he explained.
Wayans discussed his upcoming comedy special – potentially titled “Rainbow Child” or “Skittles,” according to the New York Post – which is geared toward opening up about the change in his family, so he can help other parents going through similar situations.
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Marlon Wayans attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic)
“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,” he said.
He described the experience as “very painful,” telling the podcast, however, “[the comedy special] is one of the best, funniest hours [of comedy] I could ever imagine.”
Kai, 23, is Wayans’ oldest of two children he shares with ex-partner Angelica Zachary. Kai, since identifying as transgender, uses they/them pronouns.
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Actor Marlon Wayans (C) and children Shawn Howell Wayans (L) and Amai Zackary Wayans (now Kai Wayans) at the premiere of Open Road Films’ “Fifty Shades of Black” at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on January 26, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The comedian said he sometimes mistakenly calls Kai by their former pronouns, but he said he is learning and trying.
“They know. They know I love them,” he said. “I gotta respect their wishes. And as a parent, I just want my kids to be free — free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves.”
Wayans has formerly been in the spotlight for calling out cancel culture and sensitivity to humor in today’s society.
Appearing on “CBS Mornings” last year, the actor and comedian slammed people as “too damn sensitive,” adding, “This society has replaced laughs and comedy with social media and worries. Like we are so anxious about everything ‘cuz all we do is look at world problems and give our opinions.”
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Marlon Wayans performs at The Apollo Theater on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Wayans also defended his 2004 comedy “White Chicks,” a movie about two FBI agents who go undercover as two stereotypical blonde-haired white women to solve a kidnapping plot, and vowed to never censor his content.
“I think they’re [movies like “White Chicks” are] needed,” Wayans said at the time. “I don’t know what planet we’re on, where you think people don’t need laughter, and that people need to be censored and canceled. If a joke is gonna get me canceled, thank you for doing me that favor.”
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FOX News’ Kristine Parks and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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