Comedian Marlon Wayans rejects cancel culture, says it only exists in ‘society's mind'

Fox News

19-04-2025

Stand-up comedian and actor Marlon Wayans said last week that "cancel culture" has never made him afraid to make a joke or feel like he's had to alter his material.
In a recent interview with independent journalist Nicholas Ballasy, Wayans referred to cancel culture as a societal construct that he and many other "real comedians" have chosen to ignore and have kept their careers.
"I've never succumbed to that. I've been the same comedian that I was since we first started. Real comedians – we stayed the course," Wayans said while at an event promoting his "Wild Child Tour."
The reporter asked the "White Chicks" star whether he has found it harder to do comedy in the era of so-called cancel culture – a cultural atmosphere in which comedians or prominent figures can face public backlash for jokes or statements deemed too offensive.
Wayans was dismissive of the concept, replying, "That's all in society's mind." He characterized it as peer pressure that should be rejected. "Everybody's like, 'You gotta change! You gotta change!' No, no."
The entertainer continued, noting that risking hurt feelings goes into making good comedy.
"Because humor is something you have to be honest about, and you have to dig deep, and you're gonna touch nerves, and you gonna hurt feelings," he said. "That's part of finding a good joke."
In an interview in 2022, Wayans trashed the idea that society could punish him for certain jokes, stating, "It's sad that society is in this place where we can't laugh anymore. I ain't listening to this damn generation. I ain't listening to these folks, these scared-a-- people, these scared executives. Y'all do what you want to do? Great. I'm still gonna tell my jokes the way I tell them."
Other prominent comedians agree with Wayans about rejecting cancel culture.
Roast comedian Jeff Ross told Ballasy during an interview in January, "What's funny is funny, you know? There will always be people who are going to pretend to be offended, but those are the people that offend me, you know? Hypocrites."
Famed ventriloquist and comic Jeff Dunham told Fox News Digital last month that crossing the line is what makes things funny.
"To me, a comedian takes it to the line," he said. "He knows his audience, his or her audience. You take it to the line and you step over it just a little bit."
"I don't care about being canceled," Wayans continued telling Ballasy on Saturday. "If I get canceled, then your sensitive a-- shouldn't have been at my show in the first place. So, I'm good with that. I just want to make people laugh and go to some dark places and find some light."
When asked if he thought there were any jokes that are off-limits, he said, "no."
"I can tell any joke," he said. "It may take me a little time to understand how to say it, but I'm not afraid to go anywhere."