In an interview, Marlon Wayans shared that John Witherspoon was first turned down for the role of ‘Pops’ on The Wayans Bros. because NBC executives thought his character was “too ghetto”.
NBC was in discussions to pick up The Wayans Bros. but ultimately decided against it due to their thoughts about the character, John “Pops” Williams, Wayans shared on Keke Palmer’s podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer. “We did a table reading, and they thought his character was too ghetto. And they wanted us to have a different father like Danny Glover type, and we was like, ‘No.’”
Wayans continued to express his opposing views on NBC’s stance, stating, “It’s the flavor of the show.” He emphasized that they told executives that if it wasn’t Witherspoon involved, they wouldn’t proceed with the production. While NBC took this statement seriously, they ultimately decided not to pick up the show.
Although Wayans was open to reconsidering their offer, his strong desire for John Witherspoon to be part of the cast led to the show’s absence from NBC’s lineup.
The WB then aired The Wayans Bros. for five seasons from January 1995 to May 1999, with everyone involved initially on the show, including Witherspoon and Shawn Wayans.
