Marlon Wayans says that comedy has been in “recession” for 15 years because comics are afraid of cancel culture—which he thinks is a baseless fear.
In a sit-down interview with GQ, the comedian promoted his upcoming film Scary Movie 6 and expressed his thoughts about the sensitivity of modern humor.
“I feel like for the past 15 years, we’ve been in a recession in terms of comedy,” Wayans said around the 19-minute mark of the video below. “I think people are scared. I think executives are scared, like, ‘You can’t say that, you can’t say this,’ and it’s like, you’re right. You can’t, but I can.”
Wayans said he can deliver dark jokes without fear of repercussions.
“I know how and when to make an audience laugh with dark stuff,” the comedian said. “I do it all the time.”
He then turned his attention to “cancel culture” saying the idea “doesn’t exist” and therefore doesn’t affect his success.
“Those are a bunch of sensitive ass people that ain’t going to watch my show anyway,” he said.
Wayans’ comments come days after he addressed comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about George Floyd at Kevin Hart’s roast.
While speaking to Hollywood Unlocked, Marlon and his brother, Shawn Wayans, explained that they support the style of comedy that led to Hinchcliffe’s controversial joke—but didn’t think it was funny.
“You gotta understand, if you take it there, and you go there, and you get that ‘Ooooooh,’ you better make sure the laugh is worth the offense,” Marlon Wayans said. “That laugh doesn’t hit, and that meter falls fast in your face.”
“It just wasn’t funny enough, and in this case, it’s too sensitive, and he didn’t find the right joke,” he added. “If you find the right joke and George Floyd’s family laughs, you did the right joke. If you go there, you better come out with some laughs, and his mother better be laughing the hardest.”
The world will see how far Wayans’ comedy goes when Scary Movie 6 comes out on June 5.
