Marlon Wayans quit stand-up for 20 years because Chris Rock heckled him

Marlon Wayans stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote the new Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, but he couldn't help but share how disrespectful Chris Rock once was to him.

The 49-year-old actor, comedian and filmmaker was initially hesitant to do stand-up comedy because he is the youngest in a "family full of comedians" and wanted to buck the trend, so he studied drama with the goal of becoming the Wayans brother known for serious dramatic acting.

"When you do stand-up, you pull from your life," Wayans explained. "And I got six comedians before me, and we all grew up in the same house. I ain't got s—t to talk about!"

When Wayans did give stand-up comedy a try as an 18- or 19-year-old, Rock made sure he reconsidered it yet again.

"One day, Chris Rock heckled me," he told Fallon. "And I quit stand-up for 20 years. I was on stage, and you know how you tryin' to find it, right? I was on stage, and I was like, 'Uh, so what else is up?' He goes, 'How about some jokes?!' And I didn't know who it was. All I kept hearing was his evil laugh. 'How about being funny?! How about that?!' And I swear I quit stand-up for like 20 years."

Wayans made it back to the mic 12 years ago, and "I just haven't stopped." The Scary Movie and White Chicks mastermind's stand-up special Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is will hit HBO Max on Aug. 19 as part of his overall deal inked June 2020.

But first, Respect is set to hit theaters Friday (Aug. 13). In the Liesl Tommy-directed film, Jennifer Hudson portrays the late Queen of Soul while Wayans plays Franklin's ex-husband and manager Ted White.

"My whole family loved Aretha Franklin," he noted, calling the 18-time Grammy winner "a goddess in my household."