Marlon Wayans says transgender son Kai's journey taught him 'true, unconditional love'

Marlon Wayans opens up about his transgender son Kai Wayans in a new interview, saying the transition of his eldest child taught him the meaning of 'true, unconditional love.'

The actor-comedian, 53, chatting with Variety Monday, said that Kai's transition occurred after an avalanche of personal tragedies which came as an offshoot of the coronavirus pandemic.

'My world crumbled,' the New York City native told the magazine. 'I lost 62 people that I loved, including my mother and my father.

'I had friends and people that are very special to me - some OD'd with fentanyl; others died of brain aneurysms, strokes.'

Marlon, a member of the vaunted Wayans comedy family, said that 60 'people that [he] loved died,' preceding the death of his parents.

Wayans, whose filmography includes comedies such as White Chicks, Scary Movie and Don't Be a Menace, said it was at that time Kai, 26, 'transitioned from [his] daughter to [his] son.'

Wayans said that all of the aforementioned events were 'happening at once,' enlightening him to a piece of wisdom his late father had imparted to him: 'Sometimes you need faith to bring you through the darkness.'

Wayans said that he and Kai get along well, as it took 'a week to go from denial to acceptance' regarding the transition.

'I've never been married because I was never ready for marriage,' Wayans told the publication. 'And I went through this journey with my child, and it taught me to love unconditionally.'

The entertainer, who is also father to son Shawn, 24, said that he was able to cut to the most essential aspect of the situation in short order.

'At the end of the day, are my children happy?' Wayans said. 'And if they're happy, then I'm happy for them.'

Wayans said that his 'job as a father is to protect, respect and honor [his] children, and make sure they feel supported.

'It's not my job to judge them; it's my job to love them. All of my kids are gifts, and our love is the wrapping paper.'

Wayans made clear he rejected anti-trans ideologies and the people who support them.

'I'm not here for hate,' Wayans told the outlet. 'Transphobia is a form of hate. Homophobia is a form of hate. 

'Racism is a form of hate. All those small-hearted, small-minded people, there's a hell for you.'

Wayans, who was in a searing online row with Soulja Boy last year after the rapper made inflammatory remarks about trans people and his family, vowed to defend his trans son from those attacking him.

'If you think you're gonna bully my child, go somewhere else,' he told the outlet. 'It's not going to happen. I won't stand for it.'

Wayans said that he didn't feel his good friend and comedic colleague Dave Chappelle was a hateful person, after the comic, 52, came under fire for a series of controversial remarks he made about trans people in a 2021 Netflix special. 

'I wouldn't hang with Dave if he was full of hate,' Wayans said. 'I don't hang with people like that.'

Chappelle, who defended his material amid the controversy, isn't the type of comedian 'to punch down' and bully people in his sets, said Wayans.

'Dave wants to freely tell his jokes, and if you're going to be anti-comedy, then he's going to keep attacking you until you learn to have a sense of humor,' Wayans said. 'He's just standing there and defending his front line as a comedian.'

Wayans continued: 'As a comedian, I respect his journey. And as a friend, I respect his journey. And for my child, I respect their journey.'

Wayans said that his personal and professional background helps him function as a conduit.

'As the father of my child, I can appropriate my feelings toward my friend and my feelings toward my child, and how we can put those two things together and I can explain both sides,' he said. 'I'm between them, so I can explain both sides to each other.'