The Wayans Brothers are the most powerful black family in Hollywood. Lead by Keenan Ivory Wayans, who first jumped onto the scene in the 1970s, he was sure to never leave his clan of ten brothers and sisters living in the projects of New York City behind. He struggled to make sure they were always fed and taken care of. Decades later, the name “Wayans” is synonymous with money making comedy.
2000's Scary Movie, written and directed by Keenan, made $157 Million becoming the highest grossing film by a black director. The success lead to multiple sequels that collectively made nearly $500 Million, and spinoff films which have garnered a loyal cult-like following that has brought in box office receipts of over $800 Million worldwide. The hilarious skits of 1990’s In Living Color helped launch the careers of greats like Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and even fly girl Jennifer Lopez. When casting for the upcoming reboot was announced, the buzz in Hollywood had comedians and actors with excellent timing rushing to send audition tapes. Damon Wayans has been a favorite of ABC with shows like My Wife and Kids running for seven season putting out positive funny, family messages. While the babies, Marlon and Shawn, have often been a dynamic duo, helming their own shows like The Wayans Brothers, along with writing and starring in films such as 2004’s White Chicks.
First announcing a family tour in 2013, the Wayans have been fine tuning material by randomly hitting up stages to test out jokes. A month ago, in an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Marlon gushed about wanting to go on the road with his brothers, while admitting to the difficulties in getting everyone’s schedule together. "I think the thing you learned about business from my family is that you only fail if you stop trying and there’s a light at the end of every tunnel,” he said in a recent interview with The Shadow League. “You just gotta keep digging.”
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“Right now everybody is in the clubs getting it together and preparing,” Keenen said in an interview with Reverb. “That’s really what the motivation was: that we all wanted to do a family tour. It’s something we’ve talked about for years but never really had the time, and now everybody’s got some time to really work on the material and get their acts together.”
That all appears to have been worked out as the brothers of the Wayans family finally headline a tour date at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in July. A combination of sketch and stand-up, tickets go on sale April 25.
