Marlon Wayans Reveals His Older Child Is Transgender and Talks About His 'Transition as a Parent'

Wayans is a father of two

Marlon Wayans is opening up about a change in his family.

In his appearance on The Breakfast Club Friday, the comedian, 51, revealed that his oldest child is transgender.

"I have a daughter that transitioned into a son," he says. "My daughter Amai is now Kai."

Wayans then talked about what that experience was like for him as a parent and how he plans to address it in an upcoming comedy special, potentially named Rainbow Child.

"My transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance," he said of his idea for the special, adding that he hopes opening up will help other families through similar situations.

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"I think there’s a lot of parents out there who need to have that message, and I know I’m dealing with it," he said, revealing that it's been "a very painful situation for me, but it’s one of the best, funniest hours [of comedy] I could ever imagine," he said of the special, in progress.

Wayans praised Kai as "brilliant" and "the most well-read, the smartest Wayans," and said while he admitted he isn't always a perfect parent, Wayans said of Kai, "They know I love them."

"They see me trying, and I’m happy, but I have to respect their wishes," he shared.

In addition to 23-year-old Kai, Wayans also shares son Shawn, 21, with ex Angelica Zachary.

In Wayans' current special, Good Grief, he talks about the pain of having lost more than 30 loved ones, including his father, Howell Wayans, in the last three years. Now, he said, he feels it's more important than ever for his kids to "be free."

"I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves. The more you know yourself, the more you can govern yourself; the more you live your truth, the happier your existence," he said.

"If they can’t get that in the household with their father and their mother, how the f--- do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?” he said. "I’m just so proud of them being them."

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