Marlon Wayans recently promoted his latest stand-up comedy special on The Breakfast Club. The comedy special, titled “Good Grief” is dedicate to his trans child, Kai, 23.
In the TV special, Marlon, 51, explains his journey from “arrogance and denial” to “complete acceptance” after his daughter, Amai, came out as a female-to-male trans named Kai.
“It’s about my daughter that transitioned into a son,” Marlon said of Kai (below left).
“My daughter Amai is now Kai and so I talk about the transition – not her transi-, his, their transition – but my transition as a parent going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance. And I think there’s a lot of parents out there that need to have 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 funniest hours I probably could ever imagine.”
Marlon explained that Kai uses the “they/them” pronouns, which confused him initially.
“I told my daughter, I said, ‘Ni–a, you transitioning into your brother. You look just like him.’ I can’t tell the difference between her and Shawn. I swear to God.”
“I’m still working on my pronouns,” Marlon laughed.
“They know I love them,” he said. “They see me trying and they’re, like, ‘I’m happy.’ But I gotta respect their wishes.”
Kai (left) is Marlon’s first child from his longterm relationship with Angela Zackery (from 1992 to 2013). Although they were never married, Marlon has referred to Angela as his “ex-wife.”
They also share a 21-year-old son, Shawn Wayans (pictured right).
Marlon is best known for his roles in the films Mo’ Money (1992), Above the Rim (1994), Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), White Chicks (2004), and Little Man (2006). As well as the comedy TV series “In Living Color” and “The Wayans Bros.”
Watch the interview below.
