"And I protested against it. I don't say that with pride. I look back on those actions, and I'm ashamed."
Marlon Wayans admits he attempted to stop his child from transitioning by trying to hypnotize them. During an interview with Neal Brennan, the comedian opened up about his relationship with his son, Kai, and what it was like for him when they began their journey.
The Good Grief entertainer detailed that it was difficult for him to accept it, and he tried everything in his parental power to prevent Kai from transitioning. “This was happening when they were 22, 23, and for me… you’re trying to hold on, and you want this thing in your head, you want normalcy… grandchildren… but yo, it’s not on me, and like, this is their life, they should be happy,” Wayans expressed. “And if they want to do this or change this or whatever they want to do… it’s not on me to punch down on my child. So, I’m gonna love my child. Period.”
The interviewer then asked the comic if they ever attempted to “stop” them from transitioning, to which Marlon responded, “Oh, of course.” “I tried to hypnotize that bih,” he said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘No, wait, hold on, wait—’ And I protested against it. I don’t say that with pride. I look back on those actions, and I’m ashamed. I was embarrassed when I was forced to look in the mirror, and it only took me a week. I will say that I got to a beautiful place of acceptance, and I pray for a lot of parents, family members, and people in general. It’s not on us to judge anybody like, hey man, life yo life.”
Neal Brennan asked Marlon what plan he had to stop Kai’s transition if the hypnotizing didn’t work. Wayans admitted that he would “impose sanctions” by “taking allowance.” However, that move proved to be futile.
As Marlon continued, he spoke about the relationship he developed with his child as they became transgender. He told them that he would love them unconditionally, and he learned to do that, but there was one condition involved: “I’m a father first, I’m a comedian second, and those two clash.”
“I told my child, ‘I’ma have my jokes, ni**a… and they know my heart, and they trust that I’ma tell a great story and I can’t wait for people to see it.”
Watch the video above.
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