In 1985, a featured player on Saturday Night Live deliberately sabotaged a live sketch to get himself fired, throwing away the most coveted stage in comedy. That reckless act of creative defiance tells you everything about Damon Wayans Sr. and the empire he would build entirely on his own terms.

This episode traces his path from a crowded Harlem apartment and a childhood with a club foot to Hollywood dominance. It explores how he weaponized personal struggle and creative frustration to become an architect rather than an employee, refusing to be boxed in across sketch, film, novels, tech, and autobiographical sitcoms.

• Why he intentionally torched his SNL spot amid Eddie Murphy comparisons
• How co-creating In Living Color on scrappy startup Fox sparked a revolution
• The sliding-doors moment when he was considered for the Riddler over Jim Carrey
• How he wove his real club foot into characters in Waynehead and My Wife and Kids
• Why he walked away from a hit Lethal Weapon reboot over 16-hour days and his health