Marlon Wayans, star and co-creator of the iconic Scary Movie franchise, recently stirred social media when he stated that his family "should have sued" Harvey Weinstein, former film mogul.
On September 4, 2024, in an episode of Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Wayans reflected on his time with The Weinstein Company and suggested that they were "terrible" people and had financially exploited them —
"We should have [filed lawsuit]. We didn't. Go like this, ‘All good.’ I always say, they didn't just r*pe and mol*st women, they raped [expletive] too. Mol*sted us in them deals. They were terrible people," Wayans said.
Wayans' comments on X have sparked widespread discussion, with fans reacting with surprise and outrage over the alleged mistreatment.
"Makes sense why the “scary movie” franchise went down 🤦🏾♂️," one wrote.
"He really thought the Scary Movie franchise could survive and thrive without the Wayans family smh," one more on X.
"So important to know your worth AND to stand ten toes down on it," another on X.
Many users on X supported Marlon Wayans' remarks, agreeing that divine justice will ultimately prevail and that Harvey Weinstein has faced the consequences of his actions, as the Scary Movie franchise went down —
"That’s right Marlon! God says vengeance is mine. Weinstein got what was coming to him," one wrote.
"A white man stealing a black man’s ideas? History repeats itself lmao," another on X.
"All white Jewish owned entities! But if we mention their monopoly over the industry and their discriminatory executive hiring practices/promotions based on being white Jewish, African Americans are labeled “antisemitic”!" netizen on X.
Some users on X expressed mild disagreement with Marlon Wayans' remarks, suggesting that the situation is not a matter of karma and that he should have sued Harvey Weinstein. Others noted they were not surprised, given the Wayans brothers' extensive experience in writing scripts —
"Agreed w/ everything except the karma thing... Even w/ Weinstein ending up where he is at, Wayans still should have sued," one wrote.
"Theyve written so many scripts im not shocked," another on X.
This is not the first time Marlon Wayans has spoken about his strained relationship with Harvey Weinstein. In December 2022, Wayans revealed on Kevin Hart's Comedy Gold Minds podcast that The Weinstein Company had taken the Scary Movie franchise away from him and his brother, Shawn Wayans —
"We didn’t walk away from a franchise. They didn’t want to make our deal, and they snatched it. We never walked away from our franchise that we created," Wayans said.
As of now, neither Harvey Weinstein nor his legal team has commented on the allegations.
Marlon Wayans reflects on Scary Movie
On Wednesday, Marlon Wayans sat in a podcast with Shannon Sharpe and discussed the Wayans brothers' impact on Scary Movie, suggesting that many attempt to recreate their work or imitate their comedy, but could not surpass as the Wayans family has a long history and deep expertise in comedy that sets them apart.
"You can't do Wayans shit without the Wayans. You can try, but eventually, you're gonna lose a lot of money because what we do is special. We have 200 years of comedy between me, Shawn, Keenan, Damon, Kim. We have a lot of years of excellence of what we do. You can't just put anybody on them," Wayans said.
Scary Movie, which debuted in 2000, became a box office hit, grossing over $278 million worldwide, according to Complex. The franchise had five sequels, and Box Office Mojo reports that Scary Movie 4 grossed $178 million worldwide. Marlon Wayans was involved in the first two films but parted ways with the franchise following a strained relationship with producer Harvey Weinstein.
In a conversation with Shannon Sharpe, Wayans expressed that justice had been served, as Harvey Weinstein was convicted of multiple s*xual offenses in 2017 and was sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York in 2020.