We\u2019re less than two weeks away from the first new Scary Movie in 13 years, and Marlon Wayans is on the trail to promote it and, apparently, Dave Chappelle. In two interviews published this week, Wayans has discussed his relationship with his fellow comedian, who he says he really tried to get in Scary Movie 6. At the same time, Wayans has been plugging his current standup tour, which focuses on his relationship with his trans son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt taught me true, unconditional love,\u201d Wayans tells Variety<\/a> of coming to terms with his son\u2019s gender. \u201cMy job as a father is to protect, respect and honor my children, and make sure they feel supported. It\u2019s not my job to judge them; it\u2019s my job to love them.\u201d He adds, \u201cI\u2019m not here for hate. Transphobia is a form of hate. Homophobia is a form of hate. Racism is a form of hate. All those small-hearted, small-minded people, there\u2019s a hell for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n However, this has naturally generated questions about his friendship with Chappelle, whose material has been decried by trans people and their allies<\/a> and embraced by transphobes on the political right<\/a>. Still, even if Chappelle\u2019s material has provided transphobes with talking points, Wayans says, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t hang with Dave if he was full of hate\u2026 I know Dave\u2019s heart, and his intention isn\u2019t to punch down.\u201d In Wayans\u2019 view, Chappelle is fighting a \u201cwar\u201d for comedy. \u201cDave wants to freely tell his jokes, and if you\u2019re going to be anti-comedy, then he\u2019s going to keep attacking you until you learn to have a sense of humor,\u201d says Wayans. \u201cHe\u2019s just standing there and defending his front line as a comedian.\u201d Wayans doesn\u2019t want to see Chappelle censored (he hasn\u2019t been\u2014Netflix gave him<\/a> three more specials after a walkout by trans employees who objected to the material in his 2021 special The Closer) and says, \u201cYou have to be a comedian to understand that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs a comedian, I respect his journey. And as a friend, I respect his journey,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd as the father of my child, I can appropriate my feelings toward my friend and my feelings toward my child, and how we can put those two things together and I can explain both sides. I\u2019m between them, so I can explain both sides to each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n