The Wayans family has always had what basketball fans might call a deep bench. With 10 siblings (Dwayne, Keenan, Diedra, Damon, Kim, Elvira, Nadia, Vonnie, Shawn and Marlon) born to Howell and Elvira Wayans, the members of this funny, talented family have been making us laugh in films and TV shows since the 1980s.
The entire family and their unparalleled comedic legacy were celebrated at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 22 as the group was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The special recognition is given to those "who have been pioneers in their respective fields and whose influence continues to shape their industry for generations," according to a press release.
During the ceremony, members of the Wayans family came up on stage to accept the award, including Kim Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr. and his son Damon Wayans Jr. For a majority of the speech, Marlon and Damon Wayans Sr. spoke and reflected on their humble beginnings in the projects of New York. They praised their brother Keenen Ivory Wayans for their family's success by turning his dream of being a comedian into a reality after being inspired by the late comedian Richard Pryor.
Marlon Wayans recalled the family huddling together around a television to catch Keenen Ivory Wayans' routines when he was just a rising star.
"We watched my brother do stand-up comedy on that television from that day on," he shared. "Me, as a child, I sat there like, 'Wow, you mean not only can you dream, but you can make your dreams come true.'"
Damon Wayans Sr. said that as his older brother started making films, he decided to cast many of his younger siblings in roles that helped them break into the industry.
So who are the 10 offspring of Howell and Elvira Wayans that make up the trailblazing family, and where have we seen them before?
Read on to learn more about the Wayans family and what we know.
Dwayne Wayans (b. 1956)
The eldest sibling, Dwayne Wayans started out as a production assistant on his brothers’ (Keenen and Damon Sr.) sketch comedy TV series “In Living Color,” which ran from 1990-94. He also was a production assistant on “My Wife and Kids,” which starred Damon Sr., from 2002-03, according to IMDb. But largely his credits include composing and music department roles. He’s composed for “Poppa’s House,” “Marlon” (a sitcom starring his brother Marlon Wayans), “My Wife and Kids” and “The Underground” (which starred both Damon Wayans Sr. and Jr.).
As public as some of his siblings can be, though, Dwayne Wayans and several of his sisters are very private people, and it’s not well known whether he has children.
Keenen Ivory Wayans (b. 1958)
Early on, Keenen Ivory Wayans paired up with filmmaker and friend Robert Townsend (who’s directed a few episodes of the family's new CBS series “Poppa’s House”) and the two co-wrote and co-starred in 1987’s “Hollywood Shuffle.” Wayans took a page from Townsend’s indie spirit and directed, wrote and starred in “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” the following year. Damon Wayans Sr. revealed in this 2025 NAACP Image Award acceptance speech that Keenen Ivory Wayans locked himself in his bedroom for two weeks while he came up with the idea for the film.
The success of both films helped pave the way for Keenen's influential sketch TV series, “In Living Color,” which became a home for multiple siblings over the years. Keenan won an Emmy in 1990 for outstanding variety, music or comedy series (shared with Kevin Bright, Tamara Rawitt and Michael Petok) the year the show debuted. He went on to alternately write, direct, produce and/or act in films like “Scary Movie” (2000), “Scary Movie 2” (2001) and “White Chicks” (2004). He also served as executive producer of “The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show” in 1997, and wrote multiple episodes of “The Last O.G,” starring Tracy Morgan, in 2020.
Diedra Wayans (b. 1959)
Diedra has largely led a private life, but according to IMDb she’s a producer on “The Dr. Julian Wright Show,” which is currently in pre-production. She also produced 2022 drama “A Polished Soul” and the TV series “Changing Steps with Belinda Baker” in 2018. She is the CEO/owner and co-founder (with her daughter Summer) of Wayans Girl Productions, as well.
Damon Wayans (b. 1960)
Damon Wayans Sr. made his first film appearance in 1984’s “Beverly Hills Cop,” then went on to be a featured player on “Saturday Night Live” from 1985-86. He’s since starred in such films as “Mo’ Money” (1993), “Major Payne” (1995), “Bamboozled” (2000) and “Cinnamon” (2023). On TV, he starred in, wrote and co-created the popular sitcom “My Wife and Kids,” and co-starred in other shows such as “Damon,” “The Underground” and “Lethal Weapon.”
Damon Wayans Sr. has received four Emmy nominations throughout his career for his writing and performance on “In Living Color.” He has four children from his former marriage to Lisa Thorner: Damon Jr., Kyla, Michael and Cara Mia.
Currently, he stars alongside his son, Damon Wayans Jr., on the CBS sitcom “Poppa’s House,” which Sr. also co-created. The series premiered in 2024 and stars Damon Wayans Sr. as the title patriarch.
Damon Wayans Jr., who previously starred on “Happy Endings” and “New Girl,” spoke about sharing the screen with his dad during an appearance on TODAY Feb. 9.
“I knew it would be fun doing scenes with my dad,” he said. “My dad’s fun, it’s funny to be with him.”
He added, “It’s half improv. We’re just having fun.”
Kimberly (“Kim”) Wayans (b. 1961)
After making her film debut in 1987’s “Hollywood Shuffle,” Kim Wayans appeared alongside her siblings on “In Living Color” as an original cast member who made a splash with impressions of Whitney Houston and Oprah Winfrey, among others. She also lent her voice to “Waynehead” (a show that included siblings Shawn and Marlon), and has made guest appearances on shows like “Criminal Minds,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “New Girl,” “Marlon” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” She is married to producer and actor Kevin Knotts.
Elvira Wayans (b. 1964)
Named after their mother Elvira, Elvira Wayans the younger has kept her life fairly private. She has a couple IMDB credits as a writer’s assistant and writer on multiple episodes of “My Wife and Kids.” Not much is known about her private life, except that she is the mother to Damien Dante Wayans, who attended the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, and actress and stand-up comic Chaunté Wayans.
Nadia Wayans (b. 1965)
Nadia is another member of the Wayans family who likes to stay out of the spotlight. She has a single IMDb credit as “Bar Patron” in the 1988 flick “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.”
Devonne “Vonnie” Wayans (b. 1966)
Vonnie’s sole IMDb credit has her getting a shout-out from her brother Marlon Wayans on 2022’s “The Curse of Bridge Hollow.” Not much else is know about her or her private life.
Shawn Wayans (b. 1971)
Shawn Wayans made his debut as SW.1, the DJ on “In Living Color,” alongside his siblings. Later, he worked with his brother Marlon Wayans as the main stars of “The Wayans Bros” sitcom, which ran for five seasons. He has often appeared in projects with his brothers, including “Don’t Be a Menace” (which he co-wrote), “Scary Movie” and “Scary Movie 2” (which he co-wrote) and “White Chicks” (which he co-wrote and produced).
His TV credits include multiple episodes of “Waynehead,” plus some guest spots elsewhere. He has three children: daughters Laila and Illia, and one son, Marlon.
Marlon Wayans (b. 1972)
Youngest child Marlon shared a birthday with mom Elvira (the elder) who died in 2020 at age 81. As with many of the Wayans’ gang, he first appeared alongside his siblings on “In Living Color” before co-starring on “The Wayans Bros.” His film career includes many shared sibling credits: “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” “Mo’ Money,” “White Chicks” and “Scary Movie” (1 and 2).
He’s been a co-writer and producer on multiple films including 2009’s “Dance Flick,” and will be a co-writer and producer on the upcoming “Scary Movie 6.” He’s built his TV career on sketch series like “Mad TV” and “Childrens Hospital,” plus game shows like “Lip Sync Battle,” “America’s Got Talent” and “Hollywood Game Night.” He’s had five stand-up comedy specials on Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime, directed music videos and in 2017 he co-wrote and starred in “Marlon,” which ran for two seasons.
He has three children: Axl, Shawn and Kai.
While accepting the 2025 NAACP Image Award with his family, Marlon Wayans gushed about older brother Keenen Ivory Wayans.
"My brother Keenen raised us all like Jedis," he said. He remembered Keenen Ivory Wayans used to give them movies to watch and ask them to list why certain scenes were funny.
"We would talk in the morning and we'd tell him our ideas," Marlon Wayans continued. "And he'd go, 'How would you make them better?' ... I just want to say that we would not be standing here if it wasn't for our big brother Keenen Ivory Wayans."
