Culture

Marlon Wayans Says We Need More Movies Like ‘White Chicks’ in 2022

In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, Marlon Wayans defended his 2004 whiteface comedy White Chicks against the concept of cancel culture.

Marlon Wayans is putting his foot down against cancel culture. While discussing the Keenen Ivory Wayans-directed 2004 whiteface comedy, which starred Marlon with his older brother Shawn Wayans, Marlon fired back against the concept of cancel culture.

“I don’t know what planet we’re on, where you think people don’t need laughter, and that people need to be censored and canceled,” Wayans told Buzzfeed, after he was asked if a movie like White Chicks could come out in 2022. “If a joke is gonna get me canceled, thank you for doing me that favor.”

He continued, “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-ass 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. And if you want to make some money, jump on board. And if not, then I’ll find a way to do it myself. I know my audience. My audience comes to my shows every weekend and they leave feeling great and laughing. One thing about the Wayans, we’ve always told the worst joke the best way.”

Released in 2004, White Chicks became a cult-favorite amongst fans of the legendary Wayans family, although the film was nominated for four Razzies, including Worst Picture.

During a 2020 oral history with Entertainment Weekly, Marlon celebrated the legacy of White Chicks, claiming that “white chicks” love the film more than any other race and gender.

“That’s how you know it’s a good movie. For us, I think a good joke in comedy is when the people you make fun of laugh the loudest,” Wayans said at the time. “And what’s beautiful is that we’re equal-opportunity offenders. It was a great exploration of gender, of race, of pop culture, and done with kid gloves so everybody could laugh. And I think that’s what makes it a cult classic to this day.”

Jaelani Turner-Williams

Jaelani Turner-Williams is a contributing news writer for Okayplayer with bylines at Billboard, MTV News, NYLON, Recording Academy and more. Read her mind on Twitter at @hernameisjae.

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