LAS VEGAS — Now that we know where LeBron James is headed, rest assured, we know the team entertainer extraordinaire Marlon Wayans will not be cheering anytime soon.
“People (who are) very passionate about their sports, I like to see them lose,” Wayans said with a chuckle. “That makes me happy.”
Kidding, not kidding, is how the phrase goes.
Wayans’ charisma and humor were laced with insight and vulnerability when he shared some 1-on-1 time with Ballislife during his recent visit to Las Vegas, where he brought his Wild Child tour to the MGM Grand Theater.
Donning a thick, gray sweatsuit emblazoned with “Fear of God State University” across the front, Wayans said he wore the bulky winter apparel in Las Vegas’ blistering summer heat “to piss everybody off” and because he wanted “people to feel hot looking at” him.
“I could be in 110-degree weather, and I’m still cool with a sweat suit on,” Wayans said, sharing a pair of mirrored sunglasses and a “The Wayans Bros.” trucker hat with his outfit.
Just like his ideation of sports fandom, the 54-year-old do-it-all entertainer said his tour has no rules, as it flows with a theme of “expect the unexpected.”
From moment to moment, city to city, Wayans likes to keep it loose and have fun when he’s on stage with an unscripted show.
“I write on stage,” the New York City native said.
What he won’t do, and hasn’t fallen prey to like many of the newer comics, is implement crowd work into his stand-up. He won’t knock comics that it may work for, knowing it’s a great avenue for them. But he’s steering his vehicle in a different direction.
“I got things I want to talk about in my life,” Wayans said. “I’m going inside and exploring me, and what’s funny about me. To talk about what hurts you and figure out the funny in that, that’s my art. That’s what I like to do.”
The State is Therapy
Wayans’ willingness to be open on the fly welcomes those in attendance to a deeper glance at the youngest of a group of brilliant siblings who helped usher in a new era of comedy four decades ago.
Growing up Wayans assuredly meant you were learning the entertainment business in some capacity. Best known for creating the hit television show “In Living Color,” the Wayans not only uplifted themselves as a family, but it also opened the door for some of the biggest superstars in the industry.
Wayans’ introduction to show business also provided adversity at times. And as the youngest of 10 siblings, he was able to learn from not only his mistakes, but also his brothers and sisters.
“I love every lump we ever had, because those were lessons, and it gave us more motivation, more inspiration, and we continued to do it,” said Wayans, whose latest “Scary Movie” installment opened June 5, was No. 1 at the box office worldwide and made $105 million globally its opening weekend, and has now grossed nearly $230 million worldwide. “And we’re still not there yet. We’re still working, grinding movie to movie to make sure we get to what we’re getting. And if you can’t endure the lumps, then you’re never going to be successful.
“That’s part of the process. Just keep playing, and keep learning and keep getting better.”
It’s his grind and life lessons that allow him to enjoy the freedom of stepping on stage prepared to perform, unprepared.
One thing Wayans never shies away from is encouraging others to talk about what’s going on in their heads to discuss the mental baggage they carry around.
Wayans said he implores others to gauge their stress levels and reminds those close to him that it’s important to eat right and stay hydrated for more than their physical health.
He strongly encourages everyone to speak to a therapist, the same way they might go to the gym to keep their bodies in shape.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. “I talk to two therapists a week, and maybe that’s for at least two of my personalities. I do it so I can stay mentally healthy. It’s important because it’s the stress that gets you, and if you don’t empty your cup, it’s gonna run over.”
Wayans believes an extension of speaking to his therapists is being able to share openly with the thousands of people who attend his shows.
“The stage is therapy,” he said. “I get to talk about the things that hurt me and go, ‘What’s funny about this?’ And that’s the beginning of my healing.”
View this post on Instagram
Comedy and Hip Hop
Still going strong among yet another wave of comedians and hip-hop artists, the younger generation could benefit from listening to Wayans’ wealth of knowledge. Having grown up at a time when there were no holds barred in comedy, when the birth of hip hop was bringing cultures together, or when young, Black movie directors were exposing issues we’re still experiencing some 40 years later.
On stage, there were comedians like Richard Pryor and Don Rickles, who taught Wayans that jokes were meant to be laughed at, not get offended by.
On screen, he reflected on filmmakers like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend, saying “they had their finger on the pulse of pop culture and of society” with movies such as “Do The Right Thing” and “Hollywood Shuffle,” and that he appreciates being fortunate to be on the set for different movies and TV shows that taught society about different cultures.
Through his speakers, he remembers when artists and groups like Public Enemy, Tribe Called Quest, and Queen Latifah were sending messages through their music.
Could the ethnic jokes Rickles was known for in the 1970s and 80s, on stage or on late-night television with Johnny Carson, fly in 2026?
Wayans said while there will always be those who want to numb what are now considered controversial topics, he believes there’s always a laugh to be had, and that includes the comedy he grew up admiring.
“I don’t mind making fun of different people and different races, and different races making fun of me,” he said. “I think it’s all a part of comedy. At the end of the day, I just want people to laugh and have a good time. Jokes are meant to make you laugh. They’re not meant to tear you down. You’re putting too much credence on a joke. It’s just a joke. So the purpose of the joke is to make you laugh, so do that.”
Back to the Hater
While Wayans admittedly goes against the grain and loves to cheer against whatever everyone is cheering for, he said he does like his Pittsburgh Steelers, and has become fond of the WNBA.
But since Michael Jordan retired, his passion for the NBA has dwindled. And, now that James is headed to Philly, he’ll assuredly be anti-76ers.
“I’ll be praying for their loss, because I used to be a LeBron fan,” Wayans admitted. “Then he went to the Lakers, and I’m a Laker hater. That really pissed me off. So I’m not sure I’m over his stint (with) the Lakers.
“When LeBron came to the Lakers, you remember he had hair. You know why his hair is gone? I prayed it off of him. God loves me.”
If anything, Wayans believes the men “should take a page out (of) the females’ book and get to work.”
Wayans is impressed by how hard he sees the WNBA players go at one another, “hitting hard and knocking people on the floor and playing hard defense and running the entire offense.”
“I just think that these ladies work hard, pay them their money.”
He’s also not buying into any narrative that targets Caitlin Clark or that there are racial issues on either side.
“They’re there to win,” he said. “Whatever they got to do to win. It’s not a race thing. I don’t think it’s a personal thing. It’s just like, ‘Look, we’re here to play ball.’ Larry Bird went through the same thing that Caitlin Clark went through. Michael Jordan went through the same thing that Caitlin Clark went through.
“These are obstacles in your way that you have to endure in order to become great. So, welcome it all. Welcome all the challenges. Give me all the smoke. Because at the end of the day, it makes the elixir that much greater. You want to be challenged. I don’t think it’s racial, and we shouldn’t make it that way. I don’t think it’s picking on. I just think basketball is a sport. People (are) gonna get hurt.”
What’s Next?
Shockingly, Wayans said comedy is a lot harder for him than drama when it comes to the big screen.
Drama allows him to be vulnerable, and he doesn’t have to find the humor in a screenplay and how to bring it to life.
With plenty of things left he’d like to do, the most intriguing portrayal he said he’d entertain would be a potential biopic of Pryor.
Wayans said he’d also like to play Freddy Krueger one day, in perhaps a remake of Nightmare on Elm Street, or would love to do a reboot of Jim Carrey’s “The Mask.”
Another option is to star in a superhero movie, including a remake of big brother Damon’s “Blankman.”
“I may redo Blankman, but make him really cool. That would be dope. That would be dope. I took Blankman and really knocked it out the park. (And) I’m killing Damon in the first scene for never being in any of my movies.”
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
The post Marlon Wayans Talks Comedy, Acting, Sports and Mental Health With Ballislife's W.G. Ramirez appeared first on Ballislife.com.