Damon Wayans Sr. revealed that he learned of a surprising family connection one of his former girlfriends had during a recent podcast appearance.

While joining former NFL star Shannon Sharpe on his Club Shay Shay podcast, Damon admitted that he once dated an ex-girlfriend of his nephew.

But according to the 64-year-old actor and comedian, he only learned she had previously dated his nephew after what he described as a love-at-first-sight connection with the woman.

‘I was in love with her, that’s the thing,’ Damon confessed, before asking the visibly surprised Sharpe: ‘Come on, you ain’t never did… you never did Jackson 5?’

‘Hell no, I ain’t never did that. I mean, for a family member, that’s off limits, Damon,’ the host sH๏τ back.

Damon — whose whole family was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall Of Fame this year — defended himself by saying of his nephew and the woman: ‘It wasn’t like they were in love.’

Damon Wayans Sr., 64, revealed that he once dated the ex-girlfriend of his nephew on the latest episode of Shannon Sharpe’s podcast Club Shay Shay (pictured)

He said the relationship began around 2002, following his 2000 divorce from wife Lisa Thorner, whom he had married in 1984. 

‘I got divorced and I was by myself for two years,’ he recalled. ‘And then I saw [his nephew’s ex] and I was just like, “Oh my God. I’m in love.”

‘And then I found out my nephew had dated [her],’ he added.

Read More NAACP Image Awards 2025: Keke Palmer praises ‘exceptional’ Cynthia Erivo after winning against her

Damon wasn’t going to let that inconvenient fact alone stop him from dating the woman — whom he did not name — but he did check in with his nephew to ᴀssess his feelings about the matter.

‘I’m like, you know, “What’s up?” and he’s like, “That’s you.” And I’m like, “OK, pᴀss the Courvoisier, let’s go!”‘ he recalled.

‘And I went ahead and I fell in love and it was OK,’ he said, though he joked that ‘Family gatherings’ were ‘awkward’ in the aftermath.

Although the Wayans brother didn’t sound chagrined about the past relationship, he did justify it by blaming the ‘small dating pool’ in California.

He may have meant a smaller ‘pool’ in Hollywood, as California is the most populous state in the US, while Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the country. 

‘I was in love with her, that’s the thing,’ Damon confessed, before asking the surprised Sharpe: ‘Come on, you ain’t never did… you never did Jackson 5?’ ‘Hell no, I ain’t never did that,’ Sharpe sH๏τ back

According to Damon, he only learned she had previously dated his nephew after what he described as a love-at-first-sight connection with the woman; seen in 2016 in Beverly Hills

Damon admitted he got the OK from his nephew before proceeding with the relationship. He blamed it on the supposedly ‘small dating pool in California; seen in 2016 in LA

He said the relationship began around 2002, following his 2000 divorce from wife Lisa Thorner, whom he had married in 1984 and shares four children with

Damon recently collaborated with his oldest son, Damon Wayans Jr. (pictured together in September), to star as father and son on the CBS sitcom Poppa’s House

In addition to not revealing the name of the woman he had dated, Damon avoided mentioning his nephew’s name as well. 

Following his 2000 relationship, information about the one-time Saturday Night Live star’s romantic life is sparse.

He and his ex-wife Lisa Thorner shared four children during their marriage: Damon Wayans Jr., 42; Michael Wayans, 40; Cara Wayans, 37; and Kyla Wayans, 34. 

He and Damon Jr. recently took on a new collaboration by playing father and son on their new CBS sitcom Poppa’s House, which premiered in October and will rap up its first season later this month.

The series was co-created by Damon Sr., and it has even more family involvement, as his brother Marlon has been a guest star — playing his character’s brother — while their sister Kim Wayans has directed several episodes.