Marlon Wayans has been making audiences laugh for decades. Whether it’s on stage as a standup comedian or in one of his many hilarious films, like Scary Movie, White Chicks, or Little Man, Marlon, 51, always has his audiences in stitches. From 1992 to 2013, Marlon had a long-term relationship with Angelica Zachary. While the two didn’t get married, they did have two beautiful children: Kai and Shawn. In November 2023, Marlon revealed that his older child, Kai, had come out as trans, and he showed tons of support for them.
In March 2024, Marlon’s ex Brittany Moreland filed a paternity lawsuit against the actor for him to be established as the father of her child, Axl July Ivory Wayans, whom she allegedly welcomed in December 2022. Per Page Six, Marlon slammed her as “entitled” for requesting that he receives visitation rights while she gets primary physical and legal custody of the child. Additionally, she requested that he pay for her legal fees and “reasonable expenses of pregnancy and birth.”
In response, Marlon told The Shade Room, “All these women having to drag men to court who pay NOTHING towards their children. And here, a woman gets a doctor’s salary and says it isn’t enough? I’ve had two children before this.”
Find out everything you need to know about both of Marlon’s two kids with Angelica here.
Kai
Angelica gave birth to Kai in May 2000. Marlon revealed that Kai had come out as trans during an interview on The Breakfast Club. “I have a daughter that transitioned into a son. My daughter Amai is now Kai,” he said, via Us Weekly. “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.”
Marlon also revealed that he’s very supportive of Kai, and he revealed that his son’s journey with transitioning was an inspiration for his upcoming comedy special. “They know I love them,” he said. “They see me trying, and I’m happy.”
This isn’t the first time that Marlon has shown support for Kai. Back in 2019, he posted a photo of Kai when he originally came out as a member of the LBGTQ+ community to celebrate Pride Month. “Happy pride to my pride and joy. I wouldn’t change one effing thing about you. Love you to the moon around the sun through the galaxies and back again,” he wrote on Instagram.
Shawn
Marlon welcomed his younger child, Shawn, in February 2002. While the comedian has mostly kept his kids out of the spotlight, he has occasionally shared family photos on his Instagram. The Scary Movie star was seen getting into it over a call at one of Shawn’s high school basketball games, back in 2019. He called out the referees for not calling fouls against his son.
Marlon has opened up about trying to be more of a friend to his kids in a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I stopped being their dad a long time ago. I was like, ‘We are going to be friends.’ As a dad, I don’t want to be all possessive,” he explained. “I want to be your friend, and I’m going to walk you through it. At a point when they become teenagers, you have to have real conversations. What you don’t want is sneaky kids. ‘If you tell me what’s poppin’, I can protect you. But don’t come to me after the fact.'”