Marlon Wayans has nothing but unconditional love for his transgender son. (Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM)
Marlon Wayans brought a tear to many an eye over the weekend, after opening up about his transgender son, and the journey they’ve gone on together.
The White Chicks actor and comedy star speaks about his son’s transition, and how he personally dealt with that transition in his upcoming stand-up special which will either be called Skittles or Rainbow Child.
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Wayans has said in a new interview that his hope with this new stand-up routine is to help other parents navigate their child’s transition and to help invoke change through comedy.
The Scary Movie star is father to Kai, 23, and Shawn, 21, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Angela Zackery.
Speaking to The Breakfast Club, Wayans revealed that Kai is transgender and made it clear that he’s fully supportive of his child’s journey – though he might make a mistake every now and then.
“I have a daughter that transitioned into a son. My daughter Amai is now Kai, and so, I talk about the transition,” he told the morning radio show.
“Not his… their transition, but my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance.”
He continued: “I think there’s a lot of parents out there that need that message and I know I’m dealing with it. It was a very painful situation for me but, man, it’s one of the best hours I could ever imagine.”
Throughout the interview, Wayans stumbles between pronouns she, he, and they, which he acknowledges is still an obstacle he’s trying his best to work through.
“They know. They know I love them,” he explained. “They see me try and they’re like, ‘I’m happy’.”
Wayans explained that any confusion or ignorance he previously had regarding transgender people was quickly pushed aside once his son came out as trans, adding that accepting his child for who they are was pretty much a no-brainer.
“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,” he shared.
“The more you know yourself, the more you live your truth, the happier your existence. So if they can’t get that in a household with their father and their mother, how the f*** do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?
“I’m just so proud of them for being them – but that don’t mean that I ain’t got jokes.”
Wayans noted that his son is comfortable with the jokes he makes in his new routine, and pointed out that the stand-up special is so much deeper than a few zingers.
The comedian recalled performing the stand-up routine at a coveted event recently, which he said was attended by world leaders, government officials, and military generals.
Although performing his new material about his son seemed a bit daunting in front of such an influential audience, Wayans said that he realised he had to do the set because it represented what was most important to him: comedy, his children, and change.
“All you world leaders in this summit, I want you to think about these people and this synapse and how to be inclusive of this next generation,” he recalled thinking.
“I see a lot of grey hair here, but these kids that we’re dealing with, they’re different. We can’t have our old ways and expect to do new things, so please embrace the new.”
Viewers were moved by Wayans’ openness and unconditional love for his child and took to social media to commend him.
Marlon Wayans is currently touring his latest stand-up special, but promises that Skittles or Rainbow Child is next on his to-do list.
