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Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me, HBO Max's upcoming comedy special, is all set to be released and will be available for streaming from 3 am ET/ midnight PT on Thursday, March 2, 2023.
The special marks Wayans' third outing with HBO Max and comes after 2021's Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is.
Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me is written and performed by Wayans and is directed by Troy Miller. The hour-long special is executive produced by Rick Alvarez, Michael Rotenberg, Steve Harris, Miller, and Wayans.
The official logline of the HBO Max Original Comedy special reads:
"Filmed at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Wayans delivers a hilarious hour-long performance, unleashing his spot-on impressions and fearless physical comedy to address one of the most infamous recent events in pop culture – “the slap” that took place at the 94th Academy Awards® ceremony."
It continues:
"With his inimitable blunt and boisterous style, Wayans skillfully weaves anecdotes from his own life with stories about his long-time friends, from divulging his teenage crush on Jada Pinkett Smith, getting humbled by Chris Rock in an early stand-up set, and examining the impact of Will Smith’s long career. A daring tour-de-force, this special is a hysterical yet thoughtful exploration of friendship, family, mistakes, and redemption."
Trailer
The official trailer for Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me was released on YouTube on February 18, 2023. It opens with Wayans riffing on the 2022 Oscars slap controversy involving Chris Rock and Will Smith.
He goes on to share the nature of his relationship with Rock, calling him his "mean stepbrother" who constantly pushed him for new comedy material.
The comedian then reveals that he once had a crush on Jada Pinkett Smith and shares a hilarious encounter that took place between them. The trailer ends with Marlon Wayans screaming "God loves me!"
Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me could be Wayans' most personal work yet
In an Instagram post promoting Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me, the actor and comedian touched on the infamous slap, opening up that it "jolted something" in him.
Wayans wrote:
"It shook me to the core and made me reevaluate my own life, both personally and professionally"
He added that Will, Chris, and Jada were his friends and that his "personal connection" with them gave him "a unique perspective on what happened."
The post ended with a note that read:
"Still, this special isn’t about ‘The Slap,’ but how that event changed me. This discussion needed to happen. My sole intention is not to offend anyone involved. It’s to make people laugh. Healing starts when you unpack the stuff that hurts and find a way to laugh at your pain. This special is about how I came to realize that God really does love me.”
In a Warner Media press release, Marlon Wayans shared that he was "excited to be back in business with HBO Max. He said:
"We’ve had a lot of success with my last two specials so this will be great. I know HBO Max and the sophisticated team of executives are notorious for being true tastemakers and snobs of comedy, so I am flattered that they found this special to be… special”
Produced and distributed by HBO Max, Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me is slated to release on March 2, 2023, and will be available for streaming in over 61 territories worldwide.
