The Wayans family continues to be one of Hollywood’s largest and most talented broods.
Unlike many of their children, parents Howell and Elvira Wayans did not work in the entertainment industry while they raised their 10 children in New York City.
“There was always so much love and so much fun, and there was always an adventure, and it was never boring,” Marlon Wayans recalled of growing up with his family in a January 2022 interview with Kerry Washington. “And we always had each other to lean on and always had each other to make jokes. It was beautiful.”
The family stepped into the spotlight when second eldest sibling Keenen Ivory Wayans created the sketch comedy series In Living Color in 1990. The series not only gave stars such as Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx their big breaks, but also launched the careers of siblings Marlon, Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Damon Wayans.
David Fisher/Shutterstock Marlon Wayans showed off his trademark sense of humor when giving Us Weekly the scoop about a White Chicks sequel, his famous family and more. The 50-year-old comedian — who portrayed Marcus Copeland and his white heiress alter-ego Tiffany Wilson in the iconic 2004 comedy — exclusively shared with Us the real reason […]
The family has gone on to work together in several notable projects and alongside their kids, including the Scary Movie franchise, White Chicks, Poppa’s House and more. The family was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame in February 2025.
Scroll down to get to know the members of the Wayans family:
Dwayne Wayans
The oldest Wayans sibling previously worked as a production assistant on In Living Color from 1990 to 1991 and on his brother Damon’s sitcom My Wife and Kids from 2002 to 2003, per IMDb. He has continued to collaborate on his siblings’ projects over the years, acting as a composer on projects such as Thugaboo: Sneaker Madness, Dance Flick, Marlon and Poppa’s House.
Not much is known about Dwayne’s personal life, as he has seemingly chosen to keep a lower profile than some of his relatives.
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Keenen Ivory Wayans. LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images
Before creating In Living Color, Keenen acted on shows such as Cheers, For Love and Honor and A Different World. He also wrote and produced projects such as Hollywood Shuffle, Eddie Murphy: Raw and Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime. In the years since In Living Color’s 1994 end, Keenen has gone on to work as a writer and producer on White Chicks, Little Man and The Last O.G., among other credits. He was also attached to an In Living Color revival, though the project was reportedly scrapped in 2013.
Keenen was married to Daphne Wayans from 2001 to 2006. The exes share five kids — Jolie, Nala, Keenen, Bella and Daphne.
Diedra Wayans
Like her big brother Dwayne, Diedra appears to live a life out of the spotlight despite working in the entertainment industry. She cofounded the Wayans Girl Productions in 2009, as well as the Wayans Girl Foundation with her daughter, Summer, in 2015.
“Our programs include providing access to a companion, nutritional plans, therapeutic services, childcare, educational workshops and a supportive environment to assist those who are struggling and/or going through a crisis,” the organization’s website states.
According to her IMDb, Diedra has worked as a producer on projects such as Changing Steps With Belinda Baker and A Polished Soul, and will serve as a producer on the upcoming TV series Dr. Julian Wright Show, which is in pre-production.
Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans. L. Cohen/WireImage for BET Network
Damon got his acting start in shows and movies such as Saturday Night Live, Roxanne, A Different World and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka before making his In Living Color debut in 1990. He went on to lead two sitcoms, 1998’s Damon and My Wife and Kids, the latter of which ran for five seasons from 2000 to 2005. He and his eldest child, son Damon Wayans Jr., starred together in the 2006 sketch comedy series The Underground before reuniting for the sitcom Poppa’s House, which premiered in 2024.
Damon Sr. shares Damon Jr. and kids Michael, Cara and Kyla with his ex-wife, Lisa Thorner, to whom he was married from 1984 to 2000.
In addition to establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s funniest stars, Damon Sr. has also faced some controversy over the years. In 2015, he made headlines for defending Bill Cosby amid his sexual assault scandal. “I don’t believe he was raping,” he said during an interview on “The Breakfast Club” radio show at the time.
Stating that some of Cosby’s accusers were “unrapeable,” he continued, “I understand fame. I’ve lived it. Women will throw themselves at you. They just want to be in your presence. There’s some that innocently will come up there, but not 40-something women. They’re not that naïve.”
He later took to X to clarify his comments, writing, “Stop twisting my words. Watch the entire interview before u condemn me!” per CBS News. He also reposted a clip from the interview in which he stated, “And for them, my heart goes out to them. For anybody who was raped by Bill Cosby, I’m sorry and I hope you get justice.” (Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years behind bars but was released from prison in 2021 after his sexual assault charges were overturned).
Damon Sr. made headlines again in April 2025 after revealing he was once “in love” with a woman his nephew had dated in the early 2000s. “I got divorced and I was by myself for two years, and then I saw her and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m in love,’” he explained on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast without specifying which of his nephews he shared the connection with.
Poking fun at how the shared ex has affected the family, Damon Sr. went on to quip, “Family gatherings is awkward.”
Kimberly Wayans
Kimberly has acted in a number of her siblings’ projects outside of In Living Color, including A Low Down Dirty Shame, The Wayans Bros., Dance Flick, Marlon and Poppa’s House. She has also racked up a number of memorable TV appearances on shows such as In the House, Criminal Minds, Reckless, Hawaii Five-O, New Girl, The Breaks and A Black Lady Sketch Show. She is currently married to actor and producer Kevin Knotts.
Elvira Wayans
Elvira Wayans and Chaeunte Wayans. John Heller/WireImage
Named after the siblings’ late mother, Elvira is another of the Wayans family members who has chosen to stay out of the spotlight. She worked as a writer on Damon’s series My Wife and Kids and is the mother to kids Damien Dante Wayans and Chaunté Wayans, both of whom have followed in their relatives’ entertainment footsteps.
Nadia Wayans
Nadia is credited with a small role in Keenen’s 1988 film I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, though not much else is known about the seventh-oldest Wayans sibling.
Devonne Wayans
Similar to Nadia, Devonne has kept her life private over the years. However, she was included in the thanks of brother Marlon’s 2022 Netflix Halloween film The Curse of Bridge Hollow, per IMDb.
Shawn Wayans
Shawn Wayans. Amy Sussman/Getty Images
The second-to-youngest Wayans sibling has appeared in a number of memorable TV shows and movies, such as Waynehead, The Wayans Bros., Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, White Chicks, Little Man and Dance Flick. His most recent IMDb credit is the 2024 podcast “Tutor Reviews.”
In October 2024, it was announced that Shawn, Marlon and Keenen would join forces on a sixth Scary Movie film, marking their return to the franchise after not being a part of the series third, fourth and fifth movies.
Shawn is a father to three kids — daughters Laila and Illia and and son Marlon — the latter of whom is named after his younger brother.
Marlon Wayans
Marlon Wayans. Jason Mendez/Getty Images
Marlon is well-known for his roles on In Living Color, The Wayans Bros., the Scary Movie series, White Chicks, Norbit, A Haunted House, Marlon, Respect, Air and Bel-Air. He also appeared in a 2025 episode of Damon Sr. and Damon Jr.’s CBS series Poppa’s House.
Marlon shares his kids Kai and Shawn with his ex Angela Zackery. The actor and comedian opened up about Kai coming out as transgender on a November 2023 episode of “The Breakfast Club” radio show, recalling how he went from “ignorance and denial to complete, unconditional love and acceptance.”
Dwyane Wade, Khary Payton and more celebrities have supported their LGBTQ+ kids’ journeys. During a February 2020 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wade opened about his daughter Zaya coming out as transgender, noting that he takes his “roles and responsibilities” as her father “very seriously.” Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters […]
He shared, “I think there’s a lot of parents out there that need to have that message. And I know I’m dealing with it. It was a very painful situation for me, but man, it’s one of the best, funniest hours I probably could ever imagine.”
Marlon welcomed his youngest child, daughter Axl, with ex Brittany Moreland in December 2022 and signed a declaration of parentage one day after her birth. Moreland filed for full custody of their child in March 2024, in addition to requesting increased child support. Marlon, for his part, filed for joint custody of Axl that July.
