Damon Wayans Sr. is shedding light on a controversial relationship from his past, revealing he once dated his nephew's ex-girlfriend.
The 64-year-old star of "My Wife and Kids" opened up about his romantic past after NFL star Shannon Sharpe brought up the topic during Wayans' appearance on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast.
"This can't be true … that you dated the same woman that your nephew was?" the host asked, according to the Independent.
"I was in love with her, that's the thing," the actor responded. "Come on, you ain't never did … you never did a Jackson 5?"
The remark appears to reference Jermaine Jackson of The Jackson 5, who married Alejandra Loaiza — his brother Randy Jackson's former partner — in 1995.
"Hell no, I ain't never did that. I mean, for a family member, that's off limits, Damon," Sharpe replied.
The relationship began after his 2000 divorce from Lisa Thorner, Wayans said.
"I got divorced, and I was by myself for two years," he said. "And then I saw her (his nephew's ex), and I was just like, 'Oh my God. I'm in love.' And then I found out my nephew had dated [her]."
Wayans said his feelings developed quickly.
"And I went ahead, and I fell in love, and it was OK," he continued. Wayans said that as soon as he realized the connection, he consulted his nephew.
Wayans chalked it up to the "small dating pool" in his part of California and joked that family gatherings since then had become "awkward."
The revelation came after Sharpe brought up Bentley Evans' appearance on the "Holdin' Court" podcast, where Evans revealed he hadn't seen a single syndication check from "The Jamie Foxx Show" despite serving as the show's co-creator, lead writer, and showrunner.
"It was on a network, right?" Wayans said of "The Jamie Foxx Show," which aired on The WB from 1996 to 2001, according to the New York Post. "I made a lot of money off of 'My Wife and Kids.' I can't relate to that."
Wayans added that his brothers "didn't really make money off 'The Wayans Bros.' show."
"Like I said, I made a lot of money from 'Wife and Kids.' I still get checks," he added. "Not to rub it in, but I still get checks."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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