It should come as no surprise that the Wayans Brothers’ net worth is high. From sketch comedy shows and sitcoms to hilarious feature films, this powerhouse Hollywood family has done it all and have made a ton of money in the process.
While there are five Wayans brothers altogether (as well as five sisters, for a total sibling count of 10), the most successful of the clan are Keenan Ivory Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr., and Shawn Wayans. Here’s a look at the net worth of each brother, from highest to lowest.
1. Keenen Ivory Wayans’ Net Worth
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Keenen Ivory Wayans’ net worth is $65 million.
He was one of the first of the brothers to hit it big, starring in the 1987 comedy Hollywood Shuffle, which he also co-wrote. The following year, Keenan wrote, directed, and starred in the hit blaxploitation parody film, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, which got the attention of executives at the then-new (and edgy) television network, Fox.
“At that time, Fox wasn’t even a network,” Keenen explained in a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “They were a startup. And I really didn’t have an interest in that because I wanted to pursue film. But they said to me, ‘You know if you come here you can pretty much do anything you want to do.’ And I said, ‘Well, let me think about it.’ And then I kind of sat and said, ‘If I am given an opportunity like this, what would I do?’ So I started to put together the show for the idea.”
That ended up being the sketch comedy smash In Living Color, a wildly popular show that went on to air for five seasons and produced some of the most iconic characters from the ’90s. It also served as the platform that helped launch the careers of many of Keenen’s siblings, including Damon (who co-created the show), Marlon, and Shawn. Since then, Keenen has continued to write, direct, and/or produce funny films such as Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, White Chicks, and Little Man.
Keenen’s Real Estate Investments
Keenen clearly spent, saved, and invested wisely. In 2005, he bought a Mediterranean-style mansion in Tarzana, California, for $2.6 million, which he recently sold. The 6,300-square-foot home has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, as well as an estate-sized swimming pool, a spa, sports courts, and a screening room.
2. Marlon Wayans’ Net Worth
CelebrityNetWorth.com estimates Marlon Wayans’ fortune to be about $40 million.
The actor and comedian got his start appearing in Keenen’s I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and on In Living Color for one season. From 1995 until 1999, he starred alongside his brother Shawn in the WB sitcom, The Wayans Bros. He also co-wrote and starred in Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2. He’s also known for his supporting role in the acclaimed 2000 drama, Requiem for a Dream. That film was a major departure from his comedy work; Marlon played a troubled drug addict and says he did a lot of preparation to get the role right.
“We sat with addicts. We went to a clinic and talked about the effects of heroin. We did a lot of research,” Marlon explained in a 2020 interview with Vulture. “[The director] took my shirt off and made me walk around the streets of New York in February because he wanted me to understand what it was like—what winter in New York was going to feel like even though he was filming in the summer. I was like, ‘Hey bro, I grew up in New York. I know how cold it is. I don’t have to do this.'”
Marlon had his own sitcom, Marlon, which ran for one season on NBC in 2017. He’s also written, produced, and starred in movies such as White Chicks, Fifty Shades of Black, Sextuplets, A Haunted House, and A Haunted House 2. The multi-talented performer made a killing off the latter two films in particular—made with a relatively small budget of $2.5 million, A Haunted House grossed close to $60 million worldwide.
Marlon’s Real Estate Investments
As far as real estate goes, we know Marlon owned a two-story, Mediterranean-style mansion for close to a decade, which featured five bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, an outdoor pool, and a spa. He sold that property in 2016 and we can only assume he lives in an even more luxe estate today.
3. Damon Wayans’ Sr. Net Worth
Next up is Damon Wayans, who is reported to be worth $35 million by CelebrityNetWorth.com.
Damon got his start in the mid-’80s, doing standup and starring as a featured performer on Saturday Night Live for one season. Though he was fired from SNL in 1986 for inappropriately improvising during a live sketch, he returned to sketch comedy in 1990 when he co-created and starred on In Living Color with his brother, Keenen. While the show went off the air in 1994, Damon says he believes it could have launched even more big-time comedy careers had it remained on TV.
“I still believe that it should’ve been an institution like Saturday Night Live,” he told Business Insider in 2016. “If you just think about all the talent that came through In Living Color that are famous today: Jennifer Lopez, Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, a global, iconic actor/comedian. But there’s still more talent to be found.”
Damon went on to forge a successful movie career for himself after In Living Color, starring in films such as The Last Boy Scout, Major Payne, and Bamboozled. He also starred in the ABC sitcom, My Wife and Kids, from 2001 until 2005, and in the TV adaptation of Lethal Weapon from 2016 until 2019. In 2000, he co-wrote the humor book Bootleg, which became a New York Times bestseller.
In 2016, Damon purchased a 4,876-square-foot mansion in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. He paid $5.4 million for the home, which has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, an outdoor pool, and a guest house. That same year, he put his Santa Monica condo on the market with a hefty asking price of $6.5 million.
4. Shawn Wayans’ Net Worth
Lastly, there’s Shawn Wayans, who is reported to be worth $30 million by CelebrityNetWorth.com.
The standup comedian and actor says his career was heavily influenced by his older brothers. “I came out [to Los Angeles] with my brothers Keenen and Damon when they were shooting I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” Shawn explained in a 2016 interview with the Dallas Observer. “I stayed for the summer with Keenen while they were making that movie, and I always dreamed of being a stand-up comedian.”
After appearing on In Living Color for three seasons, Shawn went on to co-write and star in The Wayans Bros. with his brother, Marlon. He also teamed up with Marlon to star in and write Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2. Other films featuring Shawn as an actor, writer, and/or producer include White Chicks, Little Man, and Dance Flick.
Shawn has said that despite being one of the Wayans Brothers, it took some time for his career to build up momentum. “The offers never came pouring in,” he said in the same interview. “We just constantly kept pushing creatively and building our career and brand. Just because you’ve got a hit, it’s great that you got that moment, but it’s always ‘what’s next?’”
Shawn’s Stand-Up Career Sets Him Apart From His Brothers
Of all the Wayans Brothers, Shawn appears to be the one who is most dedicated to stand-up comedy. While he hasn’t been involved in a film since 2009, he’s spent the latter years of his career on tour performing gigs across the country.
In 2017, he launched The Boo Crew on YouTube, which was an animated series originally created in 2006 and featuring the voices of brothers Marlon and Keenen (and sister, Kim Wayans), in addition to his own. Shawn says the show, which followed a diverse group of kids growing up in the fictional city of “Book York,” was based on his own experiences growing up in New York City.
“The kids, who are white, black, Asian, and Latino, reflect how I grew up in New York,” Shawn said in a 2017 interview with the Philly Voice. “I played with kids of all races in New York. The show is educational and funny.”
While there are no details about how Shawn spends or invests his fortune, we can only assume he’s living just as well as his wealthy brothers.
