Marlon Wayans' Mom's Real Estate Advice Could Have Made Him Rich

-You grew up in Manhattan.
Live in L.A. Is it weird to come back?
Has Manhattan changed a lot since you were a kid?
-It changed a lot, 'cause I grew up in the projects
on 16th Street and Ninth Avenue.
And back in the day it was the hood.
And now it's called the Meatpacking District.
[ Laughter ]
My street cred is completely gone.
-Yeah. -It used to be like,
"Yo, I'm from Chelsea!"
And they're like, "Tsk, the Meatpacking District?"
[ Laughter ]
And it's funny 'cause, you know, my mom and my dad
used to always say, "Y'all better buy some property."
And, you know, we don't listen to parents.
They're parents. -Yeah.
-So, you know, they're like -- my mom was like,
"You should buy this property,"
and everything was so dilapidated and messed up.
You know, she would be like,
"You see that crack house over there?
That's gonna be New York's hottest hotel."
[ Laughter ] And it is.
-Yeah, it is. [ Laughter ]
-Called the Soho House. -Yeah. There you go.
-"You know that railway station up there
with all the dead bodies and the weeds that grow?
That's gonna be something called the High Line."
[ Laughter ]
"You know that bodega? Yeah, with all the stale food?
Whole Foods!" [ Laughter ]
I should have listened. -You should have listened.
-I'd be a billionaire right now.
-So, this show is based on your real life.
It's about raising two kids.
-Yes. -With your ex-wife.
So this based on not only you, but them.
-Yes. -How do they feel about being
portrayed on a television show?
-Oh well they -- I mean, you know, they're scared to death.
'Cause they signed their life rights to me, basically.
-Yeah, yeah. -And they're teenagers.
I just tell them, "Don't do nothing stupid,
and it won't get in." [ Laughter ]
"'Cause I will put your business in the street."
You're gonna see like -- 'cause they're teenagers.
It's gonna be like, "On a very special 'Marlon,'
Shawn smokes weed." [ Laughter ]
"Amai gets pregnant -- again."
It's -- it's gonna -- it's gonna be all bad.
-How do they feel about the actors who are playing them?
-You know, my daughter likes the girl because she's like,
"She's smart like me." And my daughter is really smart.
Like, she's gotten all A's her whole life.
She got one B and she cried.
I got one B in my life, and I cried tears of joy.
I was like, "I got a B!" [ Laughter ]
And my son, he's like,
my boy is like, "I don't like the boy, Dad.
He don't remind me of me."
I'm like, "Shawn, you're too cool.
You'd get me canceled. You can't just be this."
[ Laughter ]
"That's not gonna work on NBC. The kid is funny."
-Yeah. So you had to get -- you got to get somebody
who was a little more energetic than he is.
-Yeah. Relaxed. My son got too much cool on me.
And then, his mom -- their mom is always wanting to, like,
give notes on her character.
She's like, "I don't know if I would do that."
I was like, "Look, this ain't your show."
[ Laughter ] "This show is called 'Marlon.'
When we do 'Angela,' you can give that character notes."
[ Laughter ]
-Now, you embarrass your kids on the show.
Is that something -- Are you a father who
embarrasses your kids in real life?
-Yeah. -Yeah.
[ Laughter ] From the beginning?
-I just do it to be -- Yeah, from the beginning.
That's when you're supposed to start that.
I love my kids, but, you know,
I just think that it's fun to embarrass them.
Okay. Like when they graduate, like, from school,
it's a big accomplishment.
And I get really happy.
And so my daughter goes to get her --
she graduated from like fifth grade
and all the parents, you know, they get quiet and --
I got up on the chair and I said,
"I know you ain't dumb! I knew it!
I knew were you smart!
You gonna be somebody!
You gonna be somebody!" [ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
And then when they were younger --
This is just messed up.
When they were younger --
you know we had these readings at their school where parents
come and they read. -Yeah, of course.
-So I was like, "All right. Cool. I'll come in and" --
And I read, I'm animated, right?
So I decided, you know,
one year I'm gonna read "We're Going On a Bear Hunt."
And so I turn all the lights down in the room,
and they're in like pre-kindergarten at the time.
So I'm like, "We're going on a bear hunt."
And, you know, "You went through the woods.
We go through the mud.
And then we get in the cave.
We see some eyes."
And we see some eyes and I had Angela, their mom,
put on this bear mask.
And I said, "And we see a bear!"
And she went "Wah!"
You have never seen children run this fast in your life.
[ Laughter ] My son went [Screams]
Two little kids peed themselves.
I was like, "Okay, well, we shouldn't do that anymore.
No more realistic readings."
-Well, congratulations on the show.
Congratulations -- you got a movie on Netflix, "Naked,"
that's available now to watch, right?
-Yes. "Naked" right now on Netflix.
You ain't got to get the bootleg, people.
Although people will bootleg anything.
You know, they got this thing called the Fire Stick.
I'm on to all y'all. -All right.
-And NBC, my show comes out Wednesday night on channel --
Yeah. NBC. -NBC, that's right here.
-Yeah. -Wherever you are.
Give it up for Marlon Wayans, everybody!
9:00 on NBC.

Marlon Wayans' Mom's Real Estate Advice Could Have Made Him Rich

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