Damon Wayans Jr. is a comedy icon from a family of comedy icons. His dad Damon Wayans as well as his uncles (known as the Wayans Brothers) have been making audiences laugh for generations. Naturally, Damon Jr. followed into the family business, and he’s a successful comedian himself. He’s starred in sitcoms like Happy Endings and New Girl, and he’s also appeared in movies like Let’s Be Cops and lent his voice for the Pixar hit Big Hero 6. He also co-hosts the game show Raid the Cage with Jeannie Mai, which returns on Wednesday, January 3.
For nearly a decade, Damon has had his wife Samara Saraiva supporting him along the way. While the couple have mostly kept their relationship private, the comic does occasionally reveal details about their love in interviews. Get to know more about Samara here.
How Did Damon Meet Samara?
While he didn’t get too into specifics, Damon did open up about how he met Samara at a “random dinner in Miami” during a 2020 interview on the We Live Entertainment podcast. Even though the pair clearly worked out, he explained that it wasn’t an instantaneous connection. “We didn’t really click that night. We talked a little bit, but they were trying to set me up with her cousin and me and her didn’t really get along either. Not in a bad way, just different kind of people,” he said, via CinemaBlend.
He explained that even though they didn’t “get along” at first, the next time they saw each other, she was playful. “. The next night I go to this party, she’s at the party. She’s like, ‘Damon, hey.’ I walk up to her to go give her a hug and she knees me in the balls. Then I backhand her in the vagina [lightly] and she laughed,” he joked. “I’m like, ‘Oh my god, this girl’s a psycho.’ We’ve been growing strong ever since.”
They’ve Been Married Since 2016
After their hilarious meet-cute, the pair did hit it off. So much so, that Damon and Samara ended up getting married in 2016. Despite being married to a superstar, Samara has mostly kept herself private, but she has occasionally joined Damon for red carpet events, like at the 2014 premiere of Let’s Be Cops.
Damon Said That Samara Inspired Him in ‘Happy Together’
Damon revealed that Samara helped him get into character for his show Happy Together. He admitted that he does occasionally take things from his own life and pitch it for the show. “I do put a lot of how my character feels about my wife in the show. I pull that from actual relationship. I’m crazy about my wife. I think she’s awesome, and we have a lot of fun together,” he said in a Build Series interview.
Damon Has 2 Kids With His Ex
Besides being a husband to Samara, Damon is also a loving dad to two girls. He has two daughters with his ex Aja Metoyer, per The Los Angeles Times. The comedian has said that he and his ex really only communicate to co-parent their girls.