Marlon Wayans Says ‘In Living Color’ Revitalized Jim Carrey’s Career After His Last Show Flopped

Actor Marlon Wayans is the youngest brother of one in all Hollywood’s most talented families. But he says his oldest brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans, was a “star maker,” shaping the careers of not only his family but additionally lots of today’s stars.

In addition to elevating the careers of 4 siblings on the hit series “In Living Color,” Keenen provided a platform for rising talent. His alumni list includes not only Tommy Davidson and David Alan Grier, but additionally Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey.

During an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s show “Club Shay Shay” Marlon common The revealing story of how Keenen helped save Jim Carrey’s profession at a critical juncture.

According to Marlon Carrey, he reached his lowest point after the failure of his 1984 NBC sitcom The Duck Factory, which was canceled after only one season.

“Hollywood didn’t want him anymore,” Marlon recalled. “They were cold towards him… The network didn’t want him.”

Carrey’s profession prospects were dim, but Keenen saw something others didn’t. After Carrey auditioned, because of Marlon’s brother, Damon, Keenen was sold. “He’s funny,” Marlon recalled saying. And the remainder is history.

Keenen gave Carrey — and all of the talent on the show — space to be themselves.

Marlon described the show as a “playground” where Carrey could “just run wild.” This freedom allowed the solid to push the boundaries of comedy, creating sketches that ultimately shaped the careers of many.

In a 2019 oral history of the series published by The Hollywood Reporter, Carrey checked out how experimental their work was.

“We were so confused we lost our minds. We did some sketches that didn’t air, things that were just too crazy,” Carrey said. I remembered.

One idea was a sketch called “Make a Death Wish Foundation,” which was a couple of boy who died but posthumously wished to go to an amusement park. The idea was too dark for television, however the exaggerated facial expressions Carrey created for the character eventually became the enduring face of “Fire Marshall Bill” on In Living Color.

Marlon attributes this creative freedom to the leadership of his brother-boss.

“Keenen always said, ‘Don’t just do what’s in the script.’ He made writers out of all of us,” Marlon told Sharpe.

While Marlon appreciates Keenen’s contributions, he also gives credit to his brother Damon for initially recognizing Carrey’s comedic potential. After working with Carrey on Earth Girls Are Easy, Damon vouched for him.

“Damon was like, ‘Yo, Keenen…you’ve got to trust me, that white boy is funny. He’s like Silly Putty; he’s getting away with it,'” Marlon recalled.

Damon’s faith in Carrey led to an audition that modified Carrey’s life.

Carrey himself admitted that it was Damon who dragged him in. In his own words“I knew Damon from doing stand-up, and we always watched each other. He admired what I did on stage. He told me, ‘Hey, crazy guy, what do you think about auditioning for this show? Come and meet my brother.'”

That introduction led to Carrey’s breakthrough role on In Living Color.

Marlon said, “I knew Jim could be who he became,” but he didn’t stop there, listing off many names which have appeared on the show. “I knew Jamie could be who he became. I knew Damon. I knew anyone on set could be anything they wanted to be.”

Despite his success, Carrey admitted in an article for The Hollywood Reporter that he encountered difficulties along the way in which. He noted that he sometimes argued with Keenen on set, to the purpose that he would seem wearing dark sunglasses to cover his frustration. To mock him, others on set would also placed on sunglasses.

Despite these setbacks, the show offered him his highest payday on the time — Carrey earned $25,000 per episode — and a probability to showcase his talent.

As In Living Color gained popularity, so did Carrey’s profession, but he stayed true to his contract. He had a five-year contract that he desired to persist with.

“David Alan Grier used to point this out during tapings. He would go out to the audience and say, ‘I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Jim Carrey’s about to jump out in a movie called ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,'” he explained. “He was joking. He was making fun of me for having a stupid title for my movie.”

In a 2011 interview with BlackTree TV, Carrey spoke about how monumental In Living Color was to his profession, calling it a “giant, huge gateway” that led him to his later success.

“It was basically ‘that thing.’ There was a lot of work done before that, but that was the door,” he said.

Even years later, Carrey hasn’t forgotten the influence the Wayans family had on his profession. Marlon revealed that he attended Carrey’s 62nd birthday celebration last January, even though it was initially reported that nobody from the Wayans family was present. The guest list included David Spade, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Sandler, Craig Robinson and Bill Burr.

“In Living Color” aired from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994, on Fox Broadcasting. Although the show was groundbreaking, creative differences between Keenen and the network led to tensions. The show creator reportedly clashed with Fox executives over creative control and syndication rights. His frustrations got here to a head in 1992 through the episode “Driving Miss Schott,” which ultimately led to his departure.

The remainder of the Wayans family protested the network’s treatment of Keenen by wearing sunglasses through the Christmas special after which leaving the show.

Fox tried to maintain the show afloat by hiring Chris Rock from 1993 to 1994, however the magic was gone. Without Keenen, the show’s rankings declined, and In Living Color ended shortly thereafter.