To call the Wayans family “a force to be reckoned with,” would be putting it lightly. Keenan, Damon, Marlon, Shawn and Kim have collectively contributed to one of (if not “the”) most powerful black media empires that we’ve seen. They’ve ravaged the box office with their Scary Movie franchise and other films such as White Chicks, Hollywood Shuffle, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, A Low Down Dirty Shame, Mo Money, Blankman, Dance Flick, Little Man, Happy Endings, Major Payne, and New Girl. They’ve also seen considerable success on the small screen with The Wayans Brothers and My Wife and Kids. They’ve even passed the torch to the younger Wayans generations, putting Damon Wayans, Jr. to work on films and in television. All of their efforts have grossed over a staggering $1 billion and the family’s net worth stands at a rough estimate of $183 million.
One of their greatest successes came in the form of nineties sketch show, In Living Color. Each week, the colorful cast brought riotous material, their “Fly Girls” dance squad worked the stage to take viewers into commercial breaks and stars of hip-hop and R&B performed their latest hits. The show introduced some of today’s brightest stars like Jaime Foxx, Jim Carey, former Fly Girl, Jennifer Lopez, Tommy Davidson and David Alan Grier. Though hard to improve one the success the Wayans enjoyed, but could it have been better?
According to the man at the helm, Keenan Ivory-Wayans, he passed on three comedians who went on to be at the top of the game in the nineties. “I missed out on Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock, John Leguizamo,” Wayans said. Hard to believe that these three names wouldn’t impress in any audition given the success of the legendary comedy specials, movies and TV shows that Lawrence, Rock and Leguizamo have given us. Wayans explained, “Not that they weren’t good—it just was at that particular time they were not on the same level as the people that I had already cast.”
It’s all in the past and everyone has moved on to other things (like Keenan,Damon, Marlo and Shawn’s current stand-up comedy tour), but just imagine what could have been.
The post Keenan Ivory Wayans Passed On WHO For ‘In Living Color’?! appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.