Marlon Wayans Shares His Oldest Child Is Transgender

Marlon Wayans is the proud father to eldest child Kai Wayans, whom the comedian revealed Friday is transgender. The White Chicks actor, 51, shared the news that his oldest child is now known as Kai Wayans during an appearance on The Breakfast Club podcast as he opened up about going through his own “transition” as a parent. 

“I have a daughter that transitioned into a son,” said Wayans. “My daughter Amai is now Kai.” He then shared his experience navigating Kai’s journey as a parent, which he plans to address in an upcoming comedy special. “My transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance,” he explained of his idea for the special, adding that hopefully, it could be useful to other families going through similar things.

“I think there’s a lot of parents out there who need to have that message, and I know I’m dealing with it,” said Wayans, who shares Kai, 23, and son Shawn, 21, with his ex, Angelica Zachary. While it’s been “a very painful situation for me,” Wayans said the special in progress surrounding it is “one of the best, funniest” hours of comedy he could imagine. 

The Little Man actor continued on to praise Kai as “brilliant” and “the most well-read, the smartest Wayans,” admitting that while he isn’t always the perfect dad, “They know, they know I love them. They see me try and they’re like, ‘I’m happy.’” The comedian added, “I gotta respect their wishes. And as a parent, I just want my kids to be free – 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,” Wayans continued. “So if they can’t get that in a household with their father and their mother, how the f— do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence? I’m just so proud of them being them.”

The day after sharing his story about Kai with the world. Wayans took to Instagram to share a photo with his kids, writing in the caption, “Squad… so proud of the off spring. Wayans for life!” The post earned praise in the comments, with one person writing that Wayans was “out here leading by example, be your kid’s safe space!” Another person added, “I love this. I appreciate you loving them for whoever they choose to be, unconditionally‼️ … I wish more parents would take your lead‼️”