Comedian Marlon Wayans has yet to settle down with his dream woman, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
“Yeah, I probably got one in me. Just one,” said Wayans in an August interview while opening up about portraying Aretha Franklin’s first husband, Ted White, in the movie “Respect.” Wayans, 49, has been in the spotlight his entire adult life. And for the most part, his private life has remained just that. Aside from his decades-long relationship with the mother of his two children, Angela Zachery, he seemingly has appeared to be an eligible bachelor.
According to the “White Chicks” actor, his decision to not wed sooner was deeply rooted in the love and admiration he has for his mother, Elvira Alethia Wayans.
“I never got married because I knew my mom needed me,” he told Essence. “Women sometimes want to battle for your attention, they want to battle for your love, they want to be the one. Me and my mama share the same birthday [July 23]. I’m not trying to hear you,” he continued.
The Wayans matriarch passed at the age of 81 in 2020. While Wayans’ mother was obviously the apple of his eye, the actor revealed the possibility of marriage isn’t off the table, but if it comes at the price of his peace, it simply isn’t worth it.
“You know what I need? I need peace. You know what you need? Peace,” he said. “Love is a vacation. I don’t want to give nobody issues. I want to give you smiles and I hope you want to give me the same. All the other stuff is just noise and stuff that we’re battling. I just want to smile. I just want to laugh. I just want to eat well, I just want to travel, I just want to be loved, I just want to be hugged. I just want to hug you. I just want all the good stuff. All that other nonsense? It’s for the birds, man.”
The very private actor has never gone into detail about any of his past relationships. However, “TLC” songstress Chili revealed more than a decade ago that Wayans was her “one who got away.”
“The thing that was so wonderful about him is that we were friends but he really did love me,” she revealed. “Like, if I had to look back and say, ‘Who really loved and adored me?’ It was him.” The most Wayans has seemed to admit about the singer is that they did in fact date decades ago, and that she was a “great person.”
