Marlon Wayans is a proud father of two.
The comedian shares his children, Kai and Shawn, with his former partner Angelica Zachary.
The pair were in a relationship from 1992 to 2013 but never tied the knot.
Wayans’ romance with Zachary ended after he was caught cheating on her.
Just months prior, the “White Chicks” star revealed on “The Wendy Williams Show” that he insisted on living in a separate house from the mother of his kids to keep their spark alive.
“I like to keep it fresh. When you live together … she don’t come with the lingerie, she come with the sweatpants and the cream on the face and the curlers and the Uggs,” he joked. “That says, ‘I’m not going to give you none.'”
Since their split, the former couple have continued co-parenting their children.
Here’s everything you need to know about Kai and Shawn.
Kai
Wayans’ eldest child, Kai, was born Amai on May 24, 2000.
The actor revealed in November 2023 that Kai is transgender, saying on “The Breakfast Club,” “I have a daughter that transitioned into a son. My daughter Amai is now Kai.”
Wayans explained that he was going through his own “transition” amid the change in his family dynamic.
“My transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance,” he said of Kai, who was 23 at the time of the interview.
“They know I love them. They see me trying, and I’m happy, but I have to respect their wishes.”
The “Scary Movie” star shared that he just wants his children to “be free” to be themselves.
“If they can’t get that in the household with their father and their mother, how the f–k do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence? I’m just so proud of them being them,” he said.
It wasn’t the first time Wayans has had Kai’s back.
In June 2019, he shared a touching tribute to the then-19 year old during Pride Month.
“Happy pride to my pride and joy,” he wrote on Instagram. “I wouldn’t change one effing thing about you. Love you to the moon around the sun through the galaxies and back again.”
After people criticized him in the comments section, Wayans fired back, “She’s 19. She’s who she is until or until she don’t choose different. Love her for her not what I want her to be.”
Shawn
Wayans welcomed his second child, Shawn, on Feb. 3, 2002.
Though he hasn’t spoken much about Shawn publicly, he has addressed his journey as a parent in several comedy specials.
“When you’re a parent, there’s no proper formula. Did I spoil them? I know I should have never told the kids I had money. I should have raised them in the projects,” he joked in 2021’s “You Know What It Is.”
The “Little Man” star also has spoken about his kids growing up.
“I stopped being their dad a long time ago. I was like, ‘We are going to be friends.’ As a dad, I don’t want to be all possessive, like, ‘You! Who are you talking to?’ and ‘I want to meet him!'” he told “Entertainment Tonight” in 2017.
“No, I want to be your friend, and I’m going to walk you through it. At a point when they become teenagers, you have to have real conversations. What you don’t want is sneaky kids. ‘If you tell me what’s poppin’, I can protect you. But don’t come to me after the fact.'”
