Damon Wayans Comes Clean About the Joe Rogan Joke He Once Took from the Podcast Host

Legendary comedian Damon Wayans, 64, has shared his thoughts on the mortal sin of joke theft. The member of the iconic Wayans family even revealed he borrowed material from fellow comedian Joe Rogan.

Damon appeared on the “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” radio show this week to talk about his early years doing stand-up, starring in “In Living Color,” his new show on CBS, and much more.

At one point, the “Poppa’s House” star explained to Big Boy why he no longer goes to comedy shows to watch other stand-up comics.

“No, that’s stealing. Anytime you see a successful comic sitting in a club, he’s stealing, he’s rewriting somebody else’s material. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts,” Damon expressed.

He also talked about only checking out the comedy sets of his brother Marlon Wayans, and his son, Damon Wayans Jr. However, he avoids paying attention to other comics who perform on the same bill as him.

“I don’t watch the comics that go on before me because, one, I feel like they think I’m stealing, and two, I don’t want to steal,” Damon explained to Kurt “Big Boy” Alexander.

The conversation included Damon admitting to his own thievery in the past. The “Mo’ Money” actor confessed, “I’ve stolen jokes before.”

He added, “The crime is not that you said somebody else’s joke, the crime is when you know it’s somebody else’s joke and you keep saying it.”

The industry veteran then recalled telling a joke about how humans should watch birds and sea turtles to get a better understanding of how to properly parent their children.

“Joe Rogan had this joke about lions don’t make love, it’s just [makes roaring sound]. And somehow I’m onstage and I’m doing my bit. It’s getting a big laugh and then I do that joke and it gets a bigger laugh,” Damon recalled. 

“I came off stage like, ‘Did I make that up?’” he continued. “Because you know your act. You know where the laugh meter goes … then I remembered that Joe Rogan [joke]. I can’t do it no more.”

Damon then called Rogan a “funny dude” but reiterated that the joke-borrowing incident was part of the reason he stopped going to see other comedians perform.

“It gets into your subconscious mind,” he said before adding, “I loved that moment, how funny it was, but it’s not mine. I feel dirty. It’s like wearing a hairpiece and people keep complimenting your hair.”

While it appears Damon is a fan of Rogan’s comedy work, the controversial host of the popular “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast has shouted out the Wayans brother multiple times as well.

The UFC color commentator has publicly praised the hour-long “Damon Wayans: The Last Stand?” comedy special which originally aired in 1991. He also called Damon a comedic GOAT.

“Damon Wayans, in my opinion, I still say this to this day, the most underrated of all the greats,” Rogan stated on episode #2196 of his show in August 2024.

He has also argued Damon should have passed on doing television sitcoms for networks like ABC because his comedy routines are great enough to fill up stadiums.

Damon’s retelling of taking Rogan’s joke was not the first time the Wayans’ name was associated with possibly ripping off someone else’s ideas. Alleged joke theft led to a 2009 civil lawsuit against Damon’s siblings, Marlon, Keenen, and Shawn Wayans. 

Jared Edwards, a former decade-long assistant to the Wayans, claimed the brothers stole his rejected idea for a collection of jokes that he believed became the premise for a Wayans-authored book.

“101 Ways To Know You’re A Gold Digger” hit bookstores in 2009, which led to Edwards accusing the Wayans of committing copyright infringement.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, both sides filed a joint stipulation to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit in July 2011 just before the case went to trial.

Despite allegations and open admissions to joke theft, the Wayans have established themselves as one of the most acclaimed Hollywood families of the past four decades.

Damon, Keenen, Marlon, Shawn, and their sister, Kim Wayans, were part of the star-studded cast of the classic Fox sketch comedy television series “In Living Color” which ran from 1990 to 1994.

Following his stint on the groundbreaking “In Living Color,” Damon went on to play the lead role in ABC’s “My Wife and Kids” sitcom from 2001 to 2005. He presently stars with Damon Jr. on the “Poppa’s House” comedy series on CBS.

The Wayans were inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame at the Image Awards ceremony in February. Damon, Damon Jr., Kim, Marlon, and other extended family members accepted the joint honor at the ceremony held inside the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California.