Marlon Wayans says comedy helps him process loss: 'I realize my purpose'

Marlon Wayans is turning pain into purpose.

The comedian appeared on "Good Morning America" Thursday and hinted that he wants to channel the passing of both his parents into a new project as he finds healing while being in the spotlight.

"I've learned that, in my life right now, I have so much stuff that can be depressing, you know?" he said. "I lost my mom [in 2020], I lost my dad like three days ago, and I realized, like, the only thing that saves me is the stage because, when I'm hurting, those laughs that I hear from other people healing from my pain, I go, 'I realize my purpose.'"

Wayans continued, "I think it's important for all of us to do what comedians do, which is look at this world, look at this life, and always try to spend your life trying to find smiles -- and that's what I do on the stage."

The "Air" actor's "GMA" appearance comes just days after he honored his father Howell in a heartfelt tribute shared to Instagram over the weekend, dedicated to the man he called a "legend."

Wayans shared a conversation he had with his father when he was a child in which his father explained what it meant to be a man. Wayans recalled his father telling him, "My Dad said 'A man takes care of himself and his responsibilities. His family is always FIRST.'"

"From that day on I wanted to be a MAN," Wayans continued.

Wayans went on to thank his father, the Wayans family patriarch, for "being an example of a Man to all your boys."

"I pray all young black boys can grow up to be a Man like you," he added. "Baby boy loves you."

Wayans said he'll turn to his Bible "that now sits by bed" whenever he needs his father, telling him to "rest well."

"Kiss Ma for me," Wayans wrote, referencing his late mother Elvira, who died in 2020. "Tell her her babies miss her. I got two angels. I feel y'all lifting me already."

Howell and Elvira Wayans shared 10 children together, including Dwayne, Keenen, Damon, Kim, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, among others.