Damon Wayans reveals he ‘fell in love’ with nephew’s ex-girlfriend: ‘Family gatherings is awkward’

It’s a family affair.

Comedian Damon Wayans revealed a shocking bit of Wayans family lore on a recent episode of former NFL pro Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast – he once dated his nephew’s ex-girlfriend.

“I was in love with her though,” Wayans said to Sharpe’s plea that the fact “can’t be true.” Wayans joked, “Come on, you ain’t never done the Jackson 5?” referring to Jermaine Jackson’s nine-year marriage to Alejandra Loaiza, the former girlfriend of his brother Randy.

After Sharpe exclaimed, “That’s off limits, Damon!” the My Wife & Kids star humorously conceded, “Family gatherings is awkward.”

Wayans added to his defense that it “wasn’t like [his nephew and the ex] were in love… you know how small the pool is out here in Cali? The dating pool?”

The In Living Color star claimed the relationship began between 2001 and 2002, when several of his nine siblings already had adult children. Damon is the fourth eldest child of Howell Stouten and Elvira Alethia Wayans, all of whom pursued some form of work in the entertainment industry.

Wayans said he had just gotten divorced from ex-wife Lisa Thorner, with whom he shares four children, including the actor Damon Wayans Jr. “I was by myself for two years, then I saw her and I was just like, ‘Oh my God. I’m in love,'” he said. “Then I found out my nephew had dated [her].”

The comedian said he checked with his nephew, who gave him a nonchalant nod of approval to proceed (“That’s you”). “And I’m like, ‘Okay, pass the Courvoisier, let’s go!’ And I went ahead and I fell in love, and it was okay,” he said.

Wayans got his start in the New York City stand-up comedy scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. After a brief but scene-stealing role in Eddie Murphy‘s 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop, he followed in Murphy’s footsteps straight to Studio 8H for a stint as a featured player on Saturday Night Live.

He only lasted eleven episodes of the 11th season before being fired for spontaneously altering a sketch live on air. “Eddie’s advice to me was, ‘Write your own sketches. Otherwise, they’re gonna give you some Black people s— to do and you ain’t gonna like it,” Wayans reflected on Peacock’s recent SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night docuseries.

“Everything Eddie said came true. They started writing me in their sketches,” Wayans said. “I’m like, ‘Hell no.’ I said, ‘Listen, my mother’s gonna watch this show. I can’t do this. I won’t do this.'”

You can watch the rest of Wayans interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast above.