Shawn Mathis Wayans, more popularly known as just Shawn Wayans, is a 52-year-old American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was one-half of The Wayans Bros. who wrote and starred in a sitcom TV series with the same name that aired on The WB TV network from 1995 to 1999.
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Real-life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans are from a family of actors. Shawn was the ninth of ten siblings born from a social worker mother and a supermarket manager father. Eight out of ten of them were into acting — Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr., Kim Wayans, Damon Wayans Jr., Damien Dante Wayans, and Chaunté Wayans.
Among the works produced by the Wayans family members include the “Scary Movie” film series (2000, 2001), “The Wayans Bros.” (1995-1999), “In Living Color” (1990-1993), “Don’t Be a Menace” (1996), “White Chicks” (2004), “My Wife and Kids” (2001), and “Little Man” (2006) — in which most of them Shawn took part in.
Due to his portrayal of queer characters in films and his support for LGBTQ+ rights, some fans have assumed that Shawn Wayans is gay. Now, are they correct with these assumptions? Is Shawn Wayans gay? Let’s find out.
VOTE: What is Shawn Wayans’ Sexuality?
Shawn Wayans’ Sexuality: What Made Fans Think He’s Gay?
All the gay rumors that surround the actor’s name started when he portrayed Ray in the spoof film “Scary Movie” (2000).
Although it wasn’t really specified in the movie that the character was gay, a lot of viewers believed Ray Wilkins was a closeted man. This is because there were several scenes in the movie that suggest that he was. And Shawn Wayans did a really good job portraying a character who insisted that he is straight but acted otherwise. His acting must be so believable that the viewers started to speculate about his gender orientation in real life.
Shawn Wayans’ Relationships
To somehow prove the rumors about his sexuality wrong, Shawn Wayans was actually in a long-term relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Ursula Alberto, a fitness guru. The couple was together from 1999 to 2008. Although they never got married, they had three children — Laila, 24, Illia, 20, and Marlon, 17.
The couple broke up four years after their youngest, Marlon, was born.
Since the relationship with the mother of his kids, Shawn Wayans hadn’t publicly dated anyone yet. Although he revealed in an interview with radio jocks, Fernando and Greg of Radio 99.7, that he was dating a nurse. And although his girlfriend’s identity was never revealed, the actor shared that she sometimes pays for their dates because “she was doing alright in her career”.
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On Gay Rumors
The funny thing is, it is not only Shawn who has been involved in gay rumors but his younger brother, Marlon, as well. It all started when he was spotted leaving a club with someone who is transgender.
And unlike Shawn who remained mum about the issue, Marlon addressed the rumors right away. In his Twitter account, he denied that he was gay. He claimed that he and his brother were straight.
Is Shawn Wayans Gay?
In spite of all the gay rumors surrounding Shawn Wayans, it is unlikely that he was into men. Aside from the fact that he was never linked with anyone of the same gender before, he was also in a long-term relationship with the mother of his three children. Plus, we cannot just assume someone’s sexuality based on the roles he plays in the films.
Thus, we believe Shawn Wayans is straight. We have no reason to think otherwise.