Marlon Wayans opened up about his family leaving In Living Color, explaining the behind-the-scenes decisions that preceded their departure from the groundbreaking show.
Wayans addressed his family’s exit during the latest episode of Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast.
“I remember when we left ‘In Living Color’ because Fox was syndicating the show and it was hurting Keenen’s pockets,” Marlon recalled. “Keenen was like, ‘Nah, you ain’t gonna do this to me.’ My family said, ‘F### this money.’ And we all left ‘In Living Color.’”
He went on to explain that the siblings wore black glasses during the “Driving Miss Schott” Christmas episode in silent protest of the network’s treatment of Keenan.
“We’re going, ‘You ain’t gonna f### my brother,’” he said of their stand. “We’re a family. You touch one, you touch all.’” Although the network offered “big checks” to keep the family on the show, the siblings remained steadfast.
“I’m still a brother after this. No, I’m gonna support my brother,” Marlon explained. “And we all left the show. That’s why season five, it got weird.”
“My family said, “F–k this money, and we all left In Living Color. We’re going, ‘You ain’t going to f–k my brother. We’re a family. You touch one, you touch all. They were offering us big checks. $70K checks to stay on that show. I’m still a brother after this. No, I’m going to… pic.twitter.com/vi0d3umpmU
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 4, 2024
Created by Keenen Ivory Wayans, who also served as an original executive producer, writer, and cast member for the show, In Living Color helped propel him and his siblings into the spotlight. The show aired on Fox from 1990 to 1994, and also featured siblings Damon, Kim, Marlon, and Shawn Wayans.
However, despite its success, off-camera tensions led the famous family to quit. Keenen faced financial struggles over the sketch comedy show’s syndication and the siblings refused to stay.