Marlon Wayans is turning some of the most personal and emotional parts of his life into laughs with a raw comedy special centered around his oldest child, Kai.
The actor and comedian is putting his whole heart onstage, using humor to talk about Kai’s gender transition and his own journey from confusion to full-on support.
Wayans explained the special in his own words during an interview with Men’s Health.
“It’s about my transition—dealing with them transitioning—as a father and how I went from denial to acceptance,” Wayans said.
Kai, who was previously known as Amai, began transitioning a few years back and is now in their early 20s. According to Wayans, Kai’s still the same brainiac they’ve always been; they just have a beard now.
Wayans said the shift in perspective didn’t take long. He said it took about a week for him to stop tripping and start learning how to love the right way.
Since then, he has used his platform to support Kai publicly, respond to trolls, and encourage people to respect pronouns and identities.
He’s been open about how tough it was to process everything at first.
“It’s beautiful, but the journey was painful. When you come from that place, you’re not just doing jokes. You’re healing people—in a funny way,” he said.
Wayans has been keeping it light, previously joking that Kai now resembles his brother Shawn Wayans, adding some levity to a topic that’s often treated with tension.
When Soulja Boy tried to come for Kai with some transphobic nonsense online, Marlon Wayans didn’t hold back and feuded with the rapper to make it clear he wasn’t here for any disrespect toward his kid.
Outside the stand-up world, Wayans is stepping into a darker role in the upcoming horror-thriller “HIM,” set for release on September 19, 2025.