Marlon Wayans Nearly Cut Out Heartbreaking Moment of Him Crying Over Late Parents in His Comedy SpecialGood Grief

Mar. 15, 2025

Marlon Wayans in his stand up special “Good Grief”.Photo:Ser Baffo/Prime VideoMarlon Wayans' most recent standup special,Good Grief, saw him get surprisingly raw with the audience about his parents' death — but the vulnerable moment nearly didn’t make the final cut.On Lewis Howes’School of Greatnesspodcast on Sept. 3, Wayans, 52, recalled being overcome with grief in the middle of his performance after he’d made a series of jokes about changing his elderly parents' diapers.“I was running from my own pain. And I was talking about my mother and I just started [crying]. I broke down. On stage,” he recalled. “Cause the reality of my parents being gone hit me.“Wayans' mother Elvira Alethia died at 81 in July 2020, while his father Howell Stouten died at 86 in April 2023.He clarified that his parents' deaths had hit him previously, but their loss “wasn’t supposed to hit me in a show when I’m filming a special.““And it did. And I was like, alright cool. And I was gonna cut that out, but I was like, ‘No. Keep it in. Because I need people to understand that I — like you — I’m hurting.’ But life goes on,” he added.Marlon Wayans, his mother Elvira and his father, Howell, in New York City in 2005.Arnaldo Magnani/GettyWayans said he gets “so many messages” aboutGood Griefand how it “helped” people grieve and they “cried with” him as they watched.“They thanked me because they were in a place of depression and I helped them see their way out. Because I showed myself my way out.“In May,Wayans told PEOPLE that his parents' deaths “broke” him, and he fell into a “deep pain and depression,” and the experience ultimately inspiredGood Grief, as he said his mother “taught me to take my broken heart and turn it into art and so that’s what I did.““After my mom’s death I gained 25 lbs. I was shrinking, I was heavy, and I wasn’t myself. And then I was just hurt. So when my dad passed, I was like, ‘All right, let me put these pieces of my broken self back together,” he said.Now, Wayans said, “I’m not carrying it anymore.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Good Griefis now streaming on Prime Video.

Marlon Wayans in his stand up special “Good Grief”.Photo:Ser Baffo/Prime Video

Ser Baffo/Prime Video

Marlon Wayans’ most recent standup special,Good Grief, saw him get surprisingly raw with the audience about his parents' death — but the vulnerable moment nearly didn’t make the final cut.On Lewis Howes’School of Greatnesspodcast on Sept. 3, Wayans, 52, recalled being overcome with grief in the middle of his performance after he’d made a series of jokes about changing his elderly parents' diapers.“I was running from my own pain. And I was talking about my mother and I just started [crying]. I broke down. On stage,” he recalled. “Cause the reality of my parents being gone hit me.“Wayans' mother Elvira Alethia died at 81 in July 2020, while his father Howell Stouten died at 86 in April 2023.He clarified that his parents' deaths had hit him previously, but their loss “wasn’t supposed to hit me in a show when I’m filming a special.““And it did. And I was like, alright cool. And I was gonna cut that out, but I was like, ‘No. Keep it in. Because I need people to understand that I — like you — I’m hurting.’ But life goes on,” he added.Marlon Wayans, his mother Elvira and his father, Howell, in New York City in 2005.Arnaldo Magnani/GettyWayans said he gets “so many messages” aboutGood Griefand how it “helped” people grieve and they “cried with” him as they watched.“They thanked me because they were in a place of depression and I helped them see their way out. Because I showed myself my way out.“In May,Wayans told PEOPLE that his parents' deaths “broke” him, and he fell into a “deep pain and depression,” and the experience ultimately inspiredGood Grief, as he said his mother “taught me to take my broken heart and turn it into art and so that’s what I did.““After my mom’s death I gained 25 lbs. I was shrinking, I was heavy, and I wasn’t myself. And then I was just hurt. So when my dad passed, I was like, ‘All right, let me put these pieces of my broken self back together,” he said.Now, Wayans said, “I’m not carrying it anymore.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Good Griefis now streaming on Prime Video.

Marlon Wayans’ most recent standup special,Good Grief, saw him get surprisingly raw with the audience about his parents' death — but the vulnerable moment nearly didn’t make the final cut.

On Lewis Howes’School of Greatnesspodcast on Sept. 3, Wayans, 52, recalled being overcome with grief in the middle of his performance after he’d made a series of jokes about changing his elderly parents' diapers.

“I was running from my own pain. And I was talking about my mother and I just started [crying]. I broke down. On stage,” he recalled. “Cause the reality of my parents being gone hit me.”

Wayans' mother Elvira Alethia died at 81 in July 2020, while his father Howell Stouten died at 86 in April 2023.

He clarified that his parents' deaths had hit him previously, but their loss “wasn’t supposed to hit me in a show when I’m filming a special.”

“And it did. And I was like, alright cool. And I was gonna cut that out, but I was like, ‘No. Keep it in. Because I need people to understand that I — like you — I’m hurting.’ But life goes on,” he added.

Marlon Wayans, his mother Elvira and his father, Howell, in New York City in 2005.Arnaldo Magnani/Getty

Arnaldo Magnani/Getty

Wayans said he gets “so many messages” aboutGood Griefand how it “helped” people grieve and they “cried with” him as they watched.

“They thanked me because they were in a place of depression and I helped them see their way out. Because I showed myself my way out.”

In May,Wayans told PEOPLE that his parents' deaths “broke” him, and he fell into a “deep pain and depression,” and the experience ultimately inspiredGood Grief, as he said his mother “taught me to take my broken heart and turn it into art and so that’s what I did.”

“After my mom’s death I gained 25 lbs. I was shrinking, I was heavy, and I wasn’t myself. And then I was just hurt. So when my dad passed, I was like, ‘All right, let me put these pieces of my broken self back together,” he said.

Now, Wayans said, “I’m not carrying it anymore.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Good Griefis now streaming on Prime Video.

source: people.com