Where is Keenen Wayans now? Projects, Networth, and more explored amid NAACP award honoring Wayans brothers

Actor and comedian Keenen Wayans and his family were honored at the 56th NAACP Image Awards on February 22, 2025. The ceremony took place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area. Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr., Kim Wayans, and Damon Wayans Jr. attended the event.

Wayans played a major role in the 1990 sketch comedy In Living Color as its producer and lead star. After the show's success, he produced several hit comedy films featuring his younger brothers, Shawn and Marlon. These include Scary Movie, White Chicks, and Don't Be a Menace to South Central.

Keenan Wayans has continued to work as a multi-hyphenated artist in the industry. Recently, he co-wrote the script of Scary Movie 6 with his brothers. The movie is scheduled to be released next year.

As per Celebrity Net Worth, as of September 2024, Keenen Wayans had an estimated net worth of $65 million. In 2007, he purchased a home in Tarzana, California, for $2.6 million, which he later listed for $3.2 million in 2020. Reportedly, his fortune mostly came from his work as an actor, writer, producer, and director.

Marlon Wayans, nominated for an NAACP award for his guest role on Peacock’s Bel-Air, reflected on how Keenen Wayans played a key role in their family’s success. He described his older brother as a mentor who guided them like Jedi warriors, emphasizing that none of them would have achieved their success without him.

Marlon also shared a humorous story about Keenen’s decision to leave college for a comedy career. When he broke the news to their mother, she laughed and told him that after knowing him his entire life, his career choice was the funniest thing he had ever said.

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More about Keenen Wayans’ life and works

Keenen Wayans attended Tuskegee University but left just one semester before graduating to pursue a comedy career. After relocating to California, he learned from Robert Townsend and, by 1982, began appearing on the popular TV show Cheers.

His career continued with roles in For Love and Honor, A Different World, and Hollywood Shuffle, a film he co-wrote and starred in alongside Townsend. In 1988, he directed I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, which led to an opportunity from Fox Broadcasting Company to create his show.

This resulted in the launch of In Living Color which earned Wayans a Primetime Emmy, six additional nominations, an NAACP Image Award, and a PGA Award for Most Promising Producer in Television.

As mentioned above, in 2024, the Wayans brothers reunited to write the script for Scary Movie 6, marking their first collaboration on the parody film series in over 20 years. Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen were all confirmed as writers for the project.

The original Scary Movie premiered in July 2000 and was followed by four sequels. According to IMDb, Keenen Wayans directed the first two films, while Marlon and Shawn contributed as writers for all five installments and appeared in two of them.

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris was also at the event and received the NAACP Chairman’s Award. In her acceptance speech, she acknowledged the organization’s long-standing role in the Black community. Harris emphasized that the country’s future would be shaped not just by those in power or the wealthy, but by everyday people.