Damon Wayans Jr. issued an apology to the LGBT community after past homophobic tweets resurfaced.
In the tweets, which date back to 2010 and 2011, Wayans tweeted: “Being on the road during the day sucks tranny balls.” He called another user “tranny” and used the homophobic slur “faggot” and the phrase “no homo.”
The tweets have since been deleted. They began circulating after it was announced that Wayans’ will serve as executive producer of the new show “Glamourous” on the CW. The show follows a gender-nonconforming YouTuber who gets their first post-high school job at a cosmetics company they once trashed in a video.
In a statement to Deadline, Wayans apologized for the “immature and hurtful” tweets.
“When I was a young comic trying to find my voice, I made some immature and hurtful tweets that I deeply regret at the expense of the LGBTQ community. When I tweeted those comments, almost 10 years ago, I was unaware of the emotional impact they could have. I am not excusing that behavior but that is not who I am today. Society evolved and so have I and it is something I will continue to do both personally and professionally,” Wayans says. “Continued learning, acceptance and thoughtful words are all important actions that will help make society a kinder and safer place for all people. You know better, you do better.”
Wayans continued on that he hopes his show “Glamourous” can be a step forward in representation on television.
“I am very proud of the work we are doing at Two Shakes entertainment. The company was founded with the mission of working with diverse voices, both in front and behind the camera,” he added “When ‘Glamourous’ was pitched to us I thought it was brilliant, heartwarming and important. We will continue to be committed to pursuing protagonists who don’t traditionally get to be at the center of a show and bringing their stories to the screen.”
