Celebrities

Marlon Wayans thinks more comedies like White Chicks are 'needed'

Marlon Wayans thinks more comedies like White Chicks are 'needed'
White Chicks Trailer
Columbia Pictures

In a changing world where there is accountability for unacceptable behaviour, in what some people call “cancel culture”, actor Marlon Wayans has shared his thoughts about if a film like White Chicks would be able to “thrive” today.

The 2004 hit comedy White Chicks featured brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans who play FBI that go undercover as white women to solve a kidnapping case.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Marlon discussed cancel culture in the context of comedy, explaining that people need to lighten up and laugh at films like White Chicks.

He said: “I think they’re needed. I don’t know what planet we’re on, where you think people don’t need laughter, and that people need to be censored and cancelled.

“If a joke is gonna get me cancelled, thank you for doing me that favour. It’s sad that society is in this place where we can’t laugh anymore.”

Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The actor and comedian continued: “I ain’t listening to this damn generation. I ain’t listening to these folks: these scared-ass people, these scared executives.”

He argued that he knows his audience and is going to keep finding ways to make them laugh.

Wayans said: “Y’all do what you want to do? Great. I’m still gonna tell my jokes the way I tell them. And if you want to make some money, jump on board.

“And if not, then I’ll find a way to do it myself. I know my audience. My audience comes to my shows every weekend and they leave feeling great and laughing.

“One thing about the Wayans, we’ve always told the worst joke the best way.”

However, the 50-year-old dashed any hopes of a White Chicks sequel for the simple fact that the seven hours it took for make-up and prosthetics “almost killed” the brothers.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Conversation (0)