Marlon Wayans opens up about transgender child Kai and says he went through ‘five stages of grief’ to get to ‘acceptance’

Marlon Wayans spoke candidly about fatherhood with his transgender child Kai on Tuesday.

The 52-year-old Scary Movie star first revealed in November that his eldest child is transgender, saying: “I have a daughter who has transitioned into a son.”

Discussing how he’s adjusted to Kai’s transition, a devoted Wayans said that Kai is “the same kid as before — they just have a beard now. Okay! Same baby.”

The father of three – who is also dad to son Shawn, 22, and daughter Axl, 21 months – added: “Those are my babies. I’ve gone through the five stages of grief to get to this beautiful, magical place called acceptance.”

Asked what he learned from the experience, he said, “I learned that I’m a lot stronger than I thought. I learned that my family — my brothers, my sisters — prepared me to be a rock in our family.”

The star has been struggling with grief in recent years: he lost both parents within three years.

His mother Elvira Alethia passed away in July 2020 at the age of 81, while his father Howell Stouten passed away in April 2023 at the age of 86.

He said, ‘This all happened to me at once, and then it was just this universal thing: acceptance. And once you accept, you let go, you surrender to God, and then everything is fine. It’s actually better.’

Wayans previously said he was in a period of self-reflection when he first learned his eldest child was transitioning.

“It only took me a week, and in that week I grew the most of my life,” the Requiem for a Dream actor said People on friday.

He added that during that time he went from ‘resistance’ to acceptance.

“You understand the purpose of children and the beauty of unconditional love,” Marlon continued. “At the end of the day, the only thing that matters in my heart is that my child is happy.”

He also said that he’s incorporating Kai’s gender transition into his latest stand-up comedy, not just to provide some hilarity, but also to teach some valuable lessons.

“I have a contract with my kids: ‘Whatever you do in life, know that there’s a chance I’ll find humor in it and talk about it,'” he explained, noting that Kai is “okay” with their father talking about their personal lives onstage.

Marlon also admitted that his comedy appearance will not address the heated custody dispute with his ex Moreland.

“I don’t do public fights,” he explained. “You don’t have to be together to raise your child in peace. Every child deserves that.”

In November 2023, Marlon revealed Kai’s transgender identity for the first time during an interview on The Breakfast Club.

“I have a daughter who has transformed into a son. My daughter Amai is now called Kai, and so I talk about the transition.”

“Not his… their transition, but my transition as a parent, from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance.”

In an interview with the New York radio station, Wayans shared how he hopes the potential comedy act will help other parents of children going through menopause.

He added: ‘I think there are a lot of parents who need this message and I know I’m working on it.

“It was a very painful situation for me, but man, it was one of the best hours I could ever imagine.”

Wayans admitted that while he occasionally makes up a pronoun, he fully supports his son Kai every step of the way.

During the conversation, the Little Man actor gets confused with pronouns, often switching between she, he and them, and realizes he needs to work on this.

He explained, “They know. They know I love them. They see me trying and they think, ‘I’m happy,'” Wayans said.

The screenwriter admitted that any ignorance he once had about the transgender community was quickly shattered when his son came out as transgender.

Wayans indicated that he would always accept and love his eldest son unconditionally, just the way he is.

He said passionately, “I have to respect their wishes and as a parent I just want my children to be free – free in mind, free in thought, free to be themselves.”

“The better you know yourself, the more you live your truth, the happier you are.”

Speaking to DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God and Lauren LaRosa, the comedienne added: “If they can’t do that in a household with their mom and dad, how the hell am I supposed to send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?”

“I’m so proud of them for being who they are. But that doesn’t mean I don’t make jokes.”