Keenen Ivory Wayans

Keenen Ivory Wayans (born June 8, 1958, in New York City) is an American screen artist celebrated for his work as an actor, comedian, director, and filmmaker—and as a key figure within the influential Wayans entertainment family. His career blends sharp satire with mainstream appeal, helping shape modern sketch comedy and studio comedy alike.

Wayans rose to wide recognition as the creator and host of Fox’s groundbreaking sketch series In Living Color (1990–1994), a cultural touchstone that spotlighted new comedic voices and pushed TV boundaries. He later expanded into talk television with The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show (1997–1998) and returned to the comedy spotlight as a judge on Last Comic Standing in 2014.

On the film side, Wayans has frequently worn multiple hats behind the camera, beginning with his co-writing work on Hollywood Shuffle (1987). He went on to steer crowd-pleasing projects that often featured his siblings, culminating in the hit Scary Movie (2000), a landmark box-office success for an African American director at the time.

As an actor, his notable credits include I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, A Low Down Dirty Shame, Star 80, The Glimmer Man, Most Wanted, and Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy, reflecting a career rooted in both parody and pop-culture commentary.