Damon Wayans has revealed how his decision to improvise during a sketch on Saturday Night Live prompted creator Lorne Michaels to fire him from the show.
The comedic actor, 64, enjoyed a year-long stint on the program from 1985 to 1986 – with his time being cut short due to an impulsive decision he made live on air during a sketch called Mr. Monopoly.
The My Wife and Kids star opened up about the situation in Peacock’s SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night docuseries.
The series provides a deep dive into what is believed to be one of the show’s most shaky seasons, and Wayans was happy to explain why he personally struggled at the time.
He revealed that after starring alongside Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop, the comedy legend had warned him that working on the show would be a challenge.
‘Eddie’s advice to me was, “Write your own sketches. Otherwise, they’re gonna give you some Black people s**t to do and you ain’t gonna like it,”‘ Wayans recalled.

Daman Wayans has revealed how his decision improvise during a sketch on Saturday Night Live promoted creator Lorne Michaels to fire him from the show

The comedic actor enjoyed a year-long stint on the program from 1985 to 1986 – with his time being cut short due to a impulsive decision he made live on air
Murphy’s warning turned out to be true and Wayans explained how he was left feeling like he wasn’t being given the chance to show what he could do.
The actor had already been working to develop Homey D. Clown and other characters that never saw life on SNL.
However, they later became fan-favorites on his future sketch show, In Living Color.
Wayans continued: ‘Everything Eddie said came true. They started writing me in their [stereotypical] sketches.’
It reached that point that the star would simply refuse to take part in the roles created for him, as he recalled: ‘I’m like, “Hell no.” I said, “Listen, my mother’s gonna watch this show. I can’t do this. I won’t do this.”‘
Ultimately, his frustrations led him to break the rules on March 15, 1986. During the Mr. Monolopy sketch, the actor decided to switch things up without warning any of his other cast mates.
Wayans and castmate Randy Quaid played cops grilling a suspect (host Griffin Dunne) whose lawyer is the board game mascot.
On the night, the actor went off script and chose to play his character as an effeminate gay stereotype – even leaning his crotch into Dunne as he spoke.

During the Mr. Monolopy sketch, the actor decided to switch things up without warning any of his other cast mates.

On the night, the actor went off script and chose to play his police man character as an effeminate gay stereotype – and he was immediately fired from the cast
Wayans explained: ‘I snapped. I just did not care. I purposefully did that because I wanted [Michaels] to fire me.’
Dunne confirmed that is what took place as he recalled: ‘I thought it was weird, but people still laughed… And then Lorne fired him pretty much as he walked off the stage.’
Michaels stressed that he had no other choice in the matter as he noted it had been ‘really, really hard, but it had to be done.’
Castmate A. Whitney Brown added: ‘You cannot go rogue, you cannot try to steal a sketch.
‘A lot of people don’t know this about Saturday Night Live, but the actual amount of improvisation on that show is miniscule, maybe one line a year, I would bet one line every five years.’
Despite his termination mid-season 11, Michaels chose to invite Wayans back to perform stand-up in that season’s finale.
‘Lorne is a very forgiving man, and I think he just wanted to let me know that he believed in me,’ Wayans noted.
Thankfully, Wayans’ career did just fine and he teamed up with his famous siblings to make In Living Color.

He went on to create In Living Color which featured a largely Black cast, but also famously launched the career of Jim Carrey after SNL chose not to hire him

He currently stars on Poppa’s House with his son, New Girl star Damon Wayans Jr
The sketch show featured a largely Black cast, but also famously launched the career of Jim Carrey after SNL chose not to hire him.
The show was huge hit and even even beat SNL to win the Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series after its first season in 1990.
Wayans went on to lead the beloved sitcom My Wife and Kids alongside Tisha Campbell-Martin while he also starred in The Last Boy Scout with Bruce Willis, Mo’ Money, Blankman, Major Payne, The Great White Hype.
He currently stars on Poppa’s House with his son, New Girl star Damon Wayans Jr.