Comedian Marlon Wayans expresses "unconditional love" for his trans son

Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans spoke at length about his experience parenting his 23-year-old trans child during an interview on "The Breakfast Club" radio show Saturday.

"I have a daughter that transitioned into a son," the actor said, sharing that his eldest child now goes by Kai. Wayans said he is working on a new stand-up hour that will be titled either "Skittles" or "Rainbow Child." The set will center on Kai's transition and journey. 

"Not her, his, their transition, but my transition as a parent going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance," he said, adding, "I think there's a lot of parents out there that need to have that message."

Wayans admitted that the early stages of Kai's transition were "very painful" for him. He said that while he's still "working on the pronouns," he knows he has to "respect their wishes" — and he even joked that Kai is starting to look just like their brother.

"As a parent, I just want my kids to be free. I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves ... The more you live your truth, the happier your existence," Wayans said. 

"And I'm just so proud of them for being them. But that don't mean that they ain't got jokes!" 

In:
• Transgender
• LGBTQ+
• Entertainment

C Mandler

C Mandler is a social media producer and trending topics writer for CBS News, focusing on American politics and LGBTQ+ issues.