Damon Wayans Jr.

He’s more recently been seen on The New Girl and Happy Endings, but as might be expected, Damon Wayans Jr.’s first acting role was in the 1994 film Blankman, portraying the younger version of a character played by legendary In Living Color alum David Alan Grier. (Damon Sr.’s younger self, meanwhile, was played by younger brother Michael.) Damon Jr.’s stand-up debut technically came even earlier, if you count his many appearances in his father’s act as the butt of the joke, including some stuff about the throes of puberty that’s best not printed here ’cause it’s just not as funny that way. Damon Jr. told Conan O’Brien that these bits sometimes made high school awkward, but that he couldn’t really complain because the jokes paid for the house he lived in. Growing up as one of the almost innumerable funny people in the Wayans comedy dynasty must be a singular experience, one that drove Damon Jr. to take the stage himself to get payback. On a recent morning show interview, Damon Jr. jokingly estimated 20 minutes of his act is devoted to roasting his dad. Damon Sr. responds by suggesting tags for the jokes.