Marlon Wayans Turns Heads After Revealing The Unconventional Reason He Never Got Married

Comedian and actor Marlon Wayans revealed that the number one woman in his life is… his mom. Cue the heart emojis? Not exactly, as Wayans explained that the love for his late mom, Elvira Alethia, is the reason why he’ll never get married.

Wayans was in a long-term relationship with fellow actor Angelica Zachary from 1992 to 2013. The couple welcomed two kids, Kai and Shawn Wayans, but never walked down the aisle.

In a resurfaced New York Times interview, Wayans discussed the relationship with his mom and why he never married Zachary:

“I never got married, because I never wanted my mother to be jealous of a woman. I never wanted my mother to feel second to any woman.”

Wayan’s mother passed away at the age of 81 on July 22, 2020. Born in New York City, Alethia was the matriarch of ten, including entertainers Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenan Ivory Wayans, and Kim Wayans. Marlon Wayans starred with his brother Shawn in the sitcom The Wayans Bros. in the '90s and the two original Scary Movie films.

A social worker and homemaker, Alethia was married to Howell Wayans, who passed away on April 1st, 2023.

Marlon shared his birthday with his mother and posted an Instagram tribute to Alethia when she passed:

Marlon admitted that his relationship with his mother was “very needy” and he didn’t want his mother to feel jealous of his spouse.

He told the NYT:

“I told my mother on her deathbed, ‘I never got married because I always wanted you to be my No. 1 girl.’ Those were my last words. I said, ‘Take that to heaven with you.’”

Obviously, his mother’s death had an emotional impact on the comedian that goes beyond his love life. While promoting his fourth comedy special, Good Grief, Wayans opened up about how the grief from his parents’ deaths broke him, while comedy helped heal the pain.

The comedian explained:

“I rescued myself from depression by learning to laugh in my worst circumstances. Losing my parents broke me, and I’m telling the audience, Here’s how you can survive this: Find humor in everything.”

Some fans found the comedian’s vulnerability to be endearing:

While others didn’t see the point of him bringing his mom into the whole thing:

Wayans is set to premiere all new material this Friday at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Bakersfield for his Wild Child Tour. In addition, the comedian is working with Keenan and Shawn Wayans on a new Scary Movie coming out next year.