Marlon Wayans rips Soulja Boy for transphobic remarks against son: ‘He ain’t been relevant’
- Share via
For comedian Marlon Wayans, defending his son from transphobic and homophobic comments is no laughing matter. Unless it involves Soulja Boy.
The “Scary Movie” and “White Chicks” star on Wednesday made a punchline of the “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” rapper’s career after the musician dragged Wayans family matters into a social media feud. In a series of tweets this week, Soulja Boy, also known for songs “Crank That” and “Pretty Boy Swag,” used slurs to criticize Wayans, his acting career and his trans son, Kai.
Soulja Boy on Wednesday tweeted a screenshot of reports about Wayans’ support for Kai. Seemingly referencing the 52-year-old comic disguising himself as a white woman for the 2004 comedy “White Chicks,” the rapper wrote: “That ... run in the family huh? @MarlonWayans no wonder u like dressing up as a b— it’s in your blood.” The rapper has since deleted the offensive tweets — but not quickly enough to save himself from a Wayans clapback.
Marlon Wayans says a future comedy special will focus on his transition as a parent of a trans son. ‘What’s important is comedy, my children, change.’
“If @souljaboy had a career he could get cancelled for this type of slander,” the “Marlon” star tweeted Wednesday. “Luckily he ain’t been relevant since 2007.”
That was the year Soulja Boy, real name DeAndre Cortez Way, broke out with his catchy hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” and its accompanying dance. He continued to gain traction in the early aughts with songs “Donk,” “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” and “Pretty Boy Swag.” Though his popularity has tapered off in the past decade, the 34-year-old continues to drop new music including his latest album, “The Influence,” released last Friday.
Although it’s unclear how or when the Wayans-Soulja Boy feud began, Billboard reported the beef traces back to the rapper’s decision to perform in January at the Crypto Ball in Washington, D.C., to celebrate President Trump’s inauguration. Like fellow rappers Snoop Dogg and Nelly, who also performed at Trump inauguration events, Soulja Boy defended his performance, saying on Instagram that “Trump put money in my pockets.” He also noted that the president was not at the event.
Days after the inauguration, Wayans appeared on Cincinnati radio station 101.1 The Wiz, where he called for unity during the new administration and shared his two cents about the rappers who performed at the Trump celebrations. “I mean, Soulja Boy, he been canceled. Nobody cares [about] Soulja Boy. Soulja Boy go better get that check,” Wayans said.
A new passport policy is among actions Trump has taken that could stifle rights and legal recognition of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people.
He added: “I don’t know if they knew it was [an] underwritten Trump event.”
Soulja Boy hit back at the comedian on Monday, weeks after Wayans’ radio spot, tweeting “u not funny” and he “keep selling ur soul” amid a burst of profanity. A back-and-forth ensued with each of the performers taking jabs at the other’s careers and appearances.
Wayans, currently on his Wild Child comedy tour, revealed his son’s transition during a November 2023 interview with “The Breakfast Club.” At the time, he spoke about “going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance” and praised Kai as “brilliant” and the “most well-read, the smartest Wayans.” He shares children Kai and Shawn with ex-girlfriend Angela Zackery.
Last June, Wayans hit back against a slew of haters who decried his rainbow-adorned Instagram photos celebrating Pride. “As a father of a child in the LGBTQ+ community I show my support. Zero f— what people think. If i lost you… GOOD!,” he wrote in a caption.
Wayans will reunite with brothers Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans for a new chapter of their “Scary Movie” franchise, set to hit theaters next summer. Additionally, the Wayans family will get their flowers at the 56th NAACP Image Awards later this month. The “In Living Color” and “My Wife and Kids” comedy dynasty will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame when the ceremony airs Feb. 22 on BET.
Wayans’ fourth special, “Good Grief,” which premieres Tuesday on Amazon Prime, offers a front-row seat into his legendary family in a thought-provoking, relatable hour.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
