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Shawn Wayans from 'In Living Color' Delivered Emotional yet Hilarious Eulogy at John Witherspoon's Funeral

Claudine Varela
Nov 14, 2019
08:00 A.M.

Shawn Wayans' emotional speech during John Witherspoon's funeral was both heartwarming and funny as he peppered it with on-point impersonations of his late co-star.

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Everybody loves a good eulogy and there was certainly a lot to love about Shawn Wayans’ version at John Witherspoon’s funeral.

Actor Shawn Wayans at the premiere of "Justin Bieber's Believe" in December 2013. | Photo: Getty Images

Actor Shawn Wayans at the premiere of "Justin Bieber's Believe" in December 2013. | Photo: Getty Images

On Tuesday, John was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles where big-name stars flocked to pay their final respects to the comedian. Among them was his “Friday” co-star, Ice Cube who said a few words about him and his “Wayans Brothers” co-star, Shawn who made an impact with his eulogy.

A video of Shawn’s touching speech paying tribute to the late “Pops” will make you laugh and cry.

Shawn revealed that he and his brother, Marlon Wayans wanted John to be their father on their show but NBC cast Danny Glover for the part.

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John Witherspoon visiting the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2012. | Photo: Getty Images

John Witherspoon visiting the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2012. | Photo: Getty Images

Shawn’s emotional stories about how he met John and working together were peppered with humor and his hilarious impersonations of his late friend.

He recalled first falling in love with John’s comedy in “Hollywood Shuffle” and knowing as a kid that he wanted to work with him.

Shawn revealed that he and his brother, Marlon Wayans wanted John to be their father on their show but NBC cast Danny Glover for the part. When the show was canceled on NBC and picked up by Warner Brothers, John took over as Pops.

“I can’t find anybody that has anything bad to say about John Witherspoon,” Shawn sais before remembering there was one man who spoke of John in a bad way,

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In between his funny impersonations, Shawn’s voice would crack remembering John as a “special” and “incredible” man.

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He also recalled the comedian’s love for chicken and how he bought a bag of Pollo Loco for the cast on their first week shooting for “The Wayans Brothers.” Shawn imitated how John explained his love for the chicken and how he devoured leaving his audience at the funeral in stitches.

Shawn Wayans and John Witherspoon at the premiere of "Little Man" in July 2006. | Photo: Getty Images

Shawn Wayans and John Witherspoon at the premiere of "Little Man" in July 2006. | Photo: Getty Images

One notable portion in his eulogy spoke of the lone comic who disliked John.

“I can’t find anybody that has anything bad to say about John Witherspoon,” Shawn said before remembering there was one man who spoke of John in a bad way, Paul Mooney.

He recalled Paul comparing John to pancakes following John’s comedic performance on stage. Shawn defended John by saying, “Everyone does love pancakes.”

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John died on October 29 at the age of 77. He will be sorely missed.

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