Marlon Wayans has revealed that his eldest child is trans.
The actor and comedian appeared on The Breakfast Club podcast earlier this week, where he opened up about his “complete unconditional love” for his child Kai.
As he discussed his comedy special Good Grief, Wayans shared that he is working on a new special that will chronicle his journey with Kai’s gender identity.
“Skittles, or Rainbow Child, is about my daughter – I have a daughter that transitioned into a son,” said Wayans. “My daughter Amai is now Kai. And so I talk about the transition. Not their transition, but my transition as a parent going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance.
“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 could possibly imagine.”
Wayans said he often jokes with Kai, telling them that they’re “transitioning into your brother. You look just like him. I can’t tell the difference between [them] and Shawn, I swear to god.”
While the star admitted that he’s still coming to terms with using “they/them” pronouns, Kai knows he “loves them”: “They see I’m trying… But I gotta respect their wishes, right? And as a parent, I just want my kids to be free. 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 fuck 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 I don’t got jokes.”
Wayans is best known for his roles in the Scary Movie (2000-2001) and A Haunted House (2013-2014) franchises, Requiem for a Dream (2000), White Chicks (2004) and his NBC sitcom Marlon (2017-2018).
Back in May, Wayans celebrated Kai’s birthday with the following heartfelt caption: “Happiest bday my baby… daddy loves you to the moon and back. I’ve always asked people to love me unconditionally, thank you for teaching me what that really means. Be you! Your best you!”
He continued to describe the dynamic between him and Kai as “you’re the gift and I’m the wrapping paper”.
“Love love love you for life. Excuse my ignorance, chalk it up to growth,” he added. “Love you so much, thank you for making me a man. So proud.”
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