Marlon Wayans – Trauma In Comedy & The Ultimate Expression Of Love [Episode 65]

Understanding the Human Condition

Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans joins today’s show to discuss his recent shift to more dramatic roles in television and film, including Respect and Bel-Air. Marlon opens up about past trauma and how he has channeled that trauma into his comedy. Marlon also talks about mental health, the value he gets from therapy, and why acceptance is the ultimate expression of love.

Key Takeaways:

01:15 – Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans talks about his recent dramatic roles and shares his thoughts on the Chris Rock-Will Smith moment at the Oscars

06:31 – How trauma shapes comedy

08:57 – Marlon shares the experience of his daughter coming out to him and his family

13:01 – Marlon discusses some of his upcoming projects and discusses why therapy has been so important in his life

15:53 – Dr. Flowers thanks Marlon for joining the show and for the great work he continues to do

Tweetable Quotes

“I think a lot of great comedians make for great actors. The skill set you have to have as a comedian comes from such a dark place, right? You have this skill set to take something so dark and find something funny about it. It doesn’t mean that you don’t deal with that pain, you just go, ‘Ok, what’s funny about it?’” (02:10) (Marlon)

“You know, in our neighborhood we grew up poor in the projects with all these characters around us. People that were in and out of jail, crackheads, dudes on the corners, drug dealers. And we’ve seen all of that and we were the class clowns. That was our gift in the community was to make people laugh.” (06:49) (Marlon)

“Acceptance is the greatest love you can have.” (09:57) (Marlon)

“I go to therapy. I have a therapist. I try to go weekly or monthly, but I’m always so busy. But when I feel it, I know I gotta unpack. And we sit down and we talk. Sometimes you just need to talk it out and that’s important even for myself because insanity is everywhere.” (14:42) (Marlon)

Resources Mentioned:

JFlowers Health Institute – https://jflowershealth.com/

JFlowers Health Institute Contact – [phone]

Subscribe on your favorite player: https://understanding-the-human-condition.captivate.fm/listen

Marlon’s IMDB Page – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005541/

Marlon’s Website – https://www.marlonwayansofficial.com/

**The views and opinions expressed by our guests are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of J. Flowers Health Institute. Any content provided by our co-host(s) or guests is of their opinion and is not intended to reflect the philosophy and policies of J. Flowers Health Institute itself nor is it intended to malign any recovery method, religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.

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