# Kim Wayans
**Kim Wayans** (Kim N. Wayans; born 1961) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director best known as a cast member of the sketch comedy series *In Living Color*, where she created characters including the neighborhood gossip Benita Butrell. She later moved behind the camera as a writer, producer, and director on the sitcom *My Wife and Kids*, and drew wide critical praise for her dramatic film debut as Audrey in Dee Rees's *Pariah* (2011).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/) • [2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961, New York City, New York[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/) |
| Signature show | *In Living Color*, cast member 1990–1994, 100 episodes, playing characters including Benita Butrell, Lil Magic, Reesie Mayweather, and a Grace Jones parody[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/) • [2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) |
| Behind the camera | Writer, producer, and director on ABC's *My Wife and Kids* (writer credit on 64 episodes, 2001–2005); later directed episodes of *The Neighborhood*, *Bunk'd*, *Just Roll With It*, and *Poppa's House*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/credits/3030004352/) |
| Dramatic turn | Audrey, the mother in *Pariah* (2011), directed by Dee Rees; 2012 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture[4](https://kimwayans.com/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/awards/) |
| Writing | Co-author with her husband Kevin Knotts of the *Amy Hodgepodge* children's book series[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/bio/3030004352/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/) |
| Theater | One-woman show *A Handsome Woman Retreats* (2007); Robert O'Hara's *Barbecue* at the Public Theatre (2015); *An Act of God* at the Bristol Riverside Theater (2019)[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) |
| Family recognition | Inducted with her siblings into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame in 2025[7](https://apnews.com/article/7318affa7eed3f49467a3b6e8f50e08a) |
## In Living Color
Wayans joined *In Living Color* when her brother [Keenen Ivory Wayans](https://www.edgepedia.org/keenen-ivory-wayans) assembled the cast for his Fox sketch comedy series, which premiered in 1990. In a 1990 interview he named his sister Kim among the performers he had sought out for the show, saying he knew what potential they had.[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1990/07/01/the-color-of-funny/1bd47ca7-4604-4d79-9fba-380c464a053d/) She appeared in 100 episodes from 1990 to 1994, playing characters including Lt. Uhura, Mathilda Hedley of the Jamaican family the Hedleys, and a [Grace Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/grace-jones) parody.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/)
Her best-remembered creation is Benita Butrell, a loveable neighborhood gossip. Wayans said she based the character on a combination of two women from the New York neighborhood where she grew up, who spent their days on a bench talking about other people's children; the character caught on, she explained, because everybody knows someone like her.[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) • [9](https://www.out.com/movies/2011/12/23/catching-kim-wayans) She also played Lil Magic, a talentless child determined to succeed in show business, and Reesie Mayweather, half of a duo of over-the-top soul singers.[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) Among four Wayans siblings performing on the show at one point, Keenen, Damon, Kim, and Shawn were all part of the ensemble.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-07-ca-337-story.html)
## Television and film after the sketch show
After *In Living Color* ended, Wayans co-starred in the NBC sitcom *[In the House](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-the-house-tv-series)* opposite [LL Cool J](https://www.edgepedia.org/ll-cool-j), playing Tonia, a physical therapist infatuated with his character.[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) She then added producing, writing, and directing credits on the ABC hit sitcom *My Wife and Kids*, where she is credited as a writer on 64 episodes across 2001–2005.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/) • [2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) Her writing and directing on the series earned BET Comedy Award nominations for outstanding writing and outstanding directing for a comedy series.[11](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/wayans-kim-1961)
Her film work includes comedy roles in family projects such as *A Low Down Dirty Shame*, *Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood* (as Mrs. Johnson, 1996), *[Juwanna Mann](https://www.edgepedia.org/juwanna-mann)*, and *Dance Flick* (2009).[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/) Guest appearances span sitcoms and dramas including *Criminal Minds*, *The Soul Man*, *Hawaii Five-0*, *New Girl*, and *A Black Lady Sketch Show*.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/credits/3030004352/)
## Pariah and the dramatic turn
**Pariah.** Wayans's dramatic film debut came as Audrey, the devout mother of a teenage lesbian in *Pariah*, written and directed by Dee Rees and distributed by [Focus Features](https://www.edgepedia.org/focus-features).[4](https://kimwayans.com/) • [12](https://theindependentcritic.com/pariah) Reviews singled her out. The *Washington Post* compared the complexity of her performance to [Annette Bening](https://www.edgepedia.org/annette-bening)'s in *[American Beauty](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-beauty-1999-film)*, describing a woman trying to keep her family picture-perfect to hide her own hurt.[13](https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2012/01/05/uncommonly-good/) The Los Angeles Times described her mother as swinging between shrillness and near silence.[14](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-dec-28-la-et-pariah-20111228-story.html)
Wayans said she had pursued the role herself rather than being approached, and that she felt compassion for Audrey, a sad, lonely woman cut off from her family and everyone around her.[9](https://www.out.com/movies/2011/12/23/catching-kim-wayans) The role earned her 2012 nominations for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, and Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Best Breakthrough Performance.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/awards/) *Pariah* was later inducted into the Criterion Collection.[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) She followed the film with a co-starring role as the paralegal Vi Briggs on the CBS series *Reckless*.[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/)
## Stage, writing, and directing
**Stage work.** In 2007 Wayans wrote and starred in the autobiographical one-woman show *A Handsome Woman Retreats*, which centered on finding the cause and cure for her anxiety and panic attacks.[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/bio/3030004352/) In 2015 she originated the role of Lillianne, matriarch of a severely dysfunctional family, in Robert O'Hara's play *Barbecue* at the Public Theatre, and in 2019 she played God in *An Act of God* at the Bristol Riverside Theater in Pennsylvania.[2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/)
**Writing for children.** With her husband, the writer Kevin Knotts, Wayans co-authored the *Amy Hodgepodge* children's book series, which follows a fourth grader starting over in a new city and school. She has visited schools and libraries across the country promoting children's literacy.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/bio/3030004352/) • [2](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/)
**Directing.** Her directing credits include episodes of *The Neighborhood*, *Bunk'd*, *Just Roll With It*, *My Wife and Kids*, and *Poppa's House*, the CBS sitcom on which she also served as co-executive producer and wrote a teleplay.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/credits/3030004352/) • [4](https://kimwayans.com/)
## Family and recognition
Wayans is one of the ten children of the [Wayans family](https://www.edgepedia.org/wayans-family) of entertainers; her siblings Keenen Ivory, Damon, Shawn, and [Marlon Wayans](https://www.edgepedia.org/marlon-wayans) all built careers in comedy, and she has worked with them repeatedly, notably on *In Living Color* and in *A Low Down Dirty Shame*.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-07-ca-337-story.html) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/bio/3030004352/) She graduated from [Wesleyan University](https://www.edgepedia.org/wesleyan-university) in Middletown, Connecticut.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/bio/3030004352/)
In 2025 the Wayans family, including Kim, Keenen Ivory, Damon Sr., Marlon, Shawn, and [Damon Wayans Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/damon-wayans-jr), was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame in recognition of contributions to film, television, sketch, and stand-up comedy.[7](https://apnews.com/article/7318affa7eed3f49467a3b6e8f50e08a) In 2026 she joined the returning Wayans ensemble of *Scary Movie 6*, playing Nurse Ratchett, her first appearance in that franchise.[15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_2026/cast-and-crew) • [16](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/features/marlon-wayans-scary-movie-dave-chappelle-transgender-harvey-weinstein-36951/)
## References
1. [Kim Wayans, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/)
2. [Kim Wayans biography, APB Speakers](https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/kim-wayans/)
3. [Kim Wayans credits, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/credits/3030004352/)
4. [Kim Wayans, official website](https://kimwayans.com/)
5. [Kim Wayans awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915462/awards/)
6. [Kim Wayans biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kim-wayans/bio/3030004352/)
7. [The Wayans family to be inducted into the NAACP Awards' Hall of Fame, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7318affa7eed3f49467a3b6e8f50e08a)
8. [The Color of Funny, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1990/07/01/the-color-of-funny/1bd47ca7-4604-4d79-9fba-380c464a053d/)
9. [Catching Up With Kim Wayans, Out.com](https://www.out.com/movies/2011/12/23/catching-kim-wayans)
10. [Wayans Likes His 'Color'-ful Family, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-07-ca-337-story.html)
11. [Wayans, Kim 1961–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/wayans-kim-1961)
12. [Pariah review, The Independent Critic](https://theindependentcritic.com/pariah)
13. [Uncommonly Good, The Washington Post Express](https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2012/01/05/uncommonly-good/)
14. [Movie review: 'Pariah', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-dec-28-la-et-pariah-20111228-story.html)
15. [Scary Movie (2026) cast and crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_2026/cast-and-crew)
16. [How Marlon Wayans Survived Hell, Hollywood and Harvey Weinstein, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/features/marlon-wayans-scary-movie-dave-chappelle-transgender-harvey-weinstein-36951/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames U to We*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license