Damon Wayans Sr. Admits He ‘Fell in Love’ with His Nephew’s Former Girlfriend
Damon Wayans Sr. has disclosed that he once had a romantic relationship with his nephew’s former girlfriend.
The Major Payne star, 64, shared details about the romance during his appearance on the Wednesday, April 2, episode of the “Club Shay Shay” podcast, hosted by former NFL athlete Shannon Sharpe.
Sharpe, 56, first posed the question, “This can’t be true … that you dated the same woman that your nephew was?” Wayans Sr. confirmed the claim and provided further context.
“I was genuinely in love with her,” Wayans Sr. clarified. “Come on, you ain’t never done the Jackson 5?” he added, referencing Jermaine Jackson marrying Alejandra Oaziaza, the past girlfriend of Jermaine’s brother Randy Jackson.
This comparison sparked laughter from both Wayans Sr. and Sharpe, with Sharpe quipping, “That’s off-limits, Damon,” to which Wayans Sr. retorted, “No, but it wasn’t like they were lovebirds. You know how limited the dating scene is out here in Cali? Like, this was probably back in … 2001 or 2002.”
When pressed on whether he was aware that the woman had previously dated his nephew, Wayans Sr. replied, “Yes, [I knew] when I met her. I had been divorced and on my own for two years, then I saw her and thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m in love.’” (Wayans Sr. has nine siblings and shares four children with ex-wife Lisa Thorner: Damon Wayans Jr., Michael Wayans, Cara Wayans, and Kyla Wayans.)
It remains unclear how many nephews and nieces Wayans Sr. has or which nephew is the subject of his comments.
Wayans Sr. mentioned that he had approached his nephew at the time to get permission to pursue the woman. “[The nephew was] like, ‘That’s you,’ and I responded, ‘OK, pass the Courvoisier, let’s do this,’” Wayans Sr. reminisced.
The conversation erupted in laughter when Wayans Sr. added that these days, “Family gatherings are awkward.”
Currently, Wayans Sr. is starring in the CBS series Poppa’s House, and he continues to charm the ladies, with Vivica A. Fox recently sharing with Us Weekly that the actor was quite flirty on set. “The beautiful thing is I know the entire [Wayans] family and I’ve collaborated with all of them. So believe it or not, that chemistry was evident during the table read,” Fox, 60, recounted during an exclusive interview with Us on March 31. “Everyone was laughing because Damon was just being flirtatious.”
The show, which debuted in October 2024, is a family project for the Wayans clan, featuring both Wayans Sr. and Wayans Jr., 42, in front of the camera, while various family members take roles in directing and writing as well.
