Marlon Wayans Gets Real About Black Representation And Mental Health, Suggests People ‘Stay In Therapy’

by Jeroslyn JoVonn October 2, 2024 ‘Black people, we often don’t deal with our mental health,’ the comedian said. ‘We laugh at it; we’re not taught that.’ Marlon Wayans is championing the need for therapy in the Black community and sharing how much it’s benefitted his overall well-being. The veteran actor and stand-up comic sat down with Hollywood & Mind on Sept. 12 for an afternoon of important conversations around Black representation and mental health. Reflecting on his 30-year career, his experiences with grief, the pursuit of joy, and his views on spirituality, Wayans passionately emphasized the importance of therapy in his life and the Black community as a whole. “I’ve done therapy, and I suggest people stay in therapy,” he told Hollywood & Mind founder Cathy Applefeld Olson. “It’s funny… Black people, we often don’t deal with our mental health. We laugh at it; we’re not taught that. I want to use my platform, my voice to tell people, my people, that we need it. It helped me.” Wayans attributed the grief he experienced when his parents died to why his perspective as an entertainer and the impact he wants to make on the world shifted. “Have no cap...