Marlon Wayans Says His Brother Paid Him for a Joke That Inspired One Iconic“ In Living Color ”Character
Marlon Wayans Says His Brother Paid Him for a Joke That Inspired One Iconic“ In Living Color ”Character
Virginia ChamleeFri, June 5, 2026 at 7:22 PM UTC
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Marlon Wayans, Damon WayansCredit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock; Frazer Harrison/WireImage -
Marlon and Shawn Wayans are sharing that they often created characters and performed sketches growing up in a 10-sibling household
In a new interview, the brothers shared that they "used to do sketches and impersonations of people when they would come home from California"
One of their characters ultimately made it to television, in In Living Color
One of the most memorable characters on In Living Color might never have made it to television was it not for Marlon Wayans and a $5 fee.
Speaking on the Thursday, June 4 episode of The View, Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both wrote and star in Scary Movie 6) detailed how they often created characters and performed sketches growing up in a 10-sibling household.
"We used to do sketches and impersonations of people when they would come home from California, trying to make it in Hollywood, and they would come home to visit. And me and Marlon would be doing sketches and stuff. Most of the time, we bombed in front of them," Shawn, 55, said.
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Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier In Living Color - 1990-1994Credit: Fox-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Marlon, 53, said he devised a character "named Oswald Bates… and he was self-educated, so he would use a lot of big words [like] 'Philanthropical, biological…'
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"And so, [my brother] Damon was like, 'Ooh, that's funny. I'm going to give you five dollars for that, and he went on and made that a huge character on In Living Color," Marlon added.
Though in hindsight, the fee seems small, Wayans was quick to note that, at the time, it felt like a lot.
"For five dollars, you know how much candy I bought for that? That's a million dollars for a 5-year-old," he added.
In a March 2025 interview with PEOPLE, Marlon teased what fans can expect from the latest in the Scary Movie franchise, saying the film aims to "have the same fun and the same kind of tone and Wayans flavor that we gave on the first one."
Marlon noted that the films that came after Scary Movie 1 and 2 were "missing that flavor," and he plans to bring out "Lowry's and that Frank's Hot Sauce" to spice it up.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
