Marlon Wayans Says He Used Hypnosis to Try and Stop Son From Transitioning, Is ‘Ashamed’ of Past Behavior

The comedian revealed last year that his oldest child, Kai is transgender.

October 22, 2024

Marlon Wayans will be the first to admit that he wasn’t entirely on board with his son Kai transitioning.

The comedian recently sat down with Neal Brennan to discuss his reaction when Kai came out as transgender. When Brennan, who hosts the Blocks Podcast, asked Wayans if he tried to “talk them out of it,” the father of three said, “of course.”

“I tried to hypnotize that bitch,” he continued, prompting them both to laugh. “And I protested against it and I don’t say that with pride. I look back on those actions and I’m ashamed. I was embarrassed the moment I was forced to look in the mirror. I was embarrassed," Wayans added, saying it "only took me a week" to get to a place of acceptance.

Wayans also revealed that he tried to stop Kai from transitioning by imposing “sanctions," like withholding their allowance.

“[Kai] was like, ‘So what? Fuck it, I’ll starve,’” Wayans recalled. “Nothing was working. This is what they wanted to do. I always said I want my kids to be happy. In order to be happy, you’re not gonna please everybody.”

Wayans said he eventually got to a "beautiful place called acceptance," and shared some advice for parents who might be in a similar situation. "It’s not on us to judge anybody, right? … I tell my child, listen, I’ma have my jokes … They know my heart and they trust that I’m gonna tell a great story," he added.

Since revealing that his son was transitioning, Wayans has become something of an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. He slammed Elon Musk for disowning his trans daughter, and urged people to show Boosie grace after he criticized his lesbian daughter.

"U can’t paint @BOOSIEOFFICIAL as a monster. That man is father that provides," Wayans tweeted at the time. "I believe him, his daughter and God will figure this out. It took me. A second. Give their family grace and time. This is growing pain. She know her daddy loves her. That’s all that matters. He may come..."

In addition to Kai, who is 24, Wayans has a 22-year-old son, Shawn, and a 21-month-old daughter, Axl.