Damon Wayans Sr. Has One Piece of Advice for His Community After Getting His Diabetes Diagnosis at 47 (Exclusive)
Damon Wayans Sr. Has One Piece of Advice for His Community After Getting His Diabetes Diagnosis at 47 (Exclusive)
Meredith WilshereSat, April 25, 2026 at 10:59 PM UTC
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Damon Wayans performing stand upCredit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty -
Damon Wayans Sr. was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008 after nearly falling into a diabetic coma
Wayans emphasizes the importance of seeking medical care and using humor to cope with health challenges
"It doesn't hurt to know, but it can hurt not to know," he says
Damon Wayans Sr. can laugh a lot. But, when he got his type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2008, he knew it was no laughing matter.
“When I got diagnosed with diabetes, I needed triage,” Wayans shares with PEOPLE. He went to the hospital, and they had to administer care when he was there, as he was on the verge of a diabetic coma. When the actor, 65, got diagnosed with diabetes, he knew that his life had to change.
“I needed to take insulin. I had to change my diet and get into exercise because my sugar was at 535, which is not sustainable. Just knowing that then set me on a path to learning more about what I can do to control it and the things that I can't do and need to let a doctor do,” Wayans shares.
Damon Wayans performing stand upCredit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty
The comedian and In Living Color star is partnering with Genentech and Diatribe to launch the ‘All Eyes on DME’ Campaign. He hopes to reach his community and “eliminate some fears.”
“We have a lot of fears where I come from, with hospitals and doctors and taking care of your health. We tend to like to do things ourselves, so someone would go get some eyeglasses from the drugstore and have the eyes like this, and they think that that's enough, and it's not,” Wayan says, mimicking someone trying on glasses and making his eyes wide.
Store-bought eyeglasses are a temporary solution, but it’s more important to “know what's going on inside of you.”
“Especially if there's treatments that can actually help you to alleviate and keep your vision long-term,” Wayans shares.
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He hopes to raise awareness in the Black and brown communities about DME, which is diabetic macular edema, a serious eye condition for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and can lead to temporary or even permanent vision loss.
Damon WayansCredit: Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty
“I found out it affects Black and brown people two to three times more for vision loss, which is terrible. It's something that is not really discussed in those communities. It's nice to be able to maybe have a voice and lend it to something that's important,” Wayans shares.
To those who might be apprehensive of getting help, he says, “there's no crime in knowing.”
“Once you know, then you can go about and try and do it your way,” Wayans shares.
One of the ways he goes about handling his diabetes is through laughter.
“I think if you can laugh, it's not that bad,” the My Wife and Kids actor says.
“That is the beautiful thing about this country, is that we laugh at ourselves, and once we laugh at ourselves, then we can start going, ‘maybe I should just go see a doctor.’ It doesn't hurt to know, but it can hurt not to know. It can be life-threatening,” Wayans shares.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
