Shawn Wayans is bringing four stand-up shows to the Columbus Funny Bone at Easton Town Center this weekend, landing in Central Ohio just weeks after helping the rebooted Scary Movie franchise cross $1.1 billion in worldwide box office. The 55-year-old actor and comedian performs two shows Friday and two more Saturday at the 145 Easton Town Center venue, with tickets requiring guests to be at least 21 years old.
Friday's shows have doors at 5:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. set and doors at 9:15 p.m. for a 9:45 p.m. set, while Saturday's lineup runs 5 p.m. doors for a 6:30 p.m. show and 8:45 p.m. doors for a 9:15 p.m. show, according to The Columbus Dispatch. General admission tickets run $54, with VIP seating priced at $64, and orders are capped at eight tickets each.
The Dispatch reports Wayans described his comedic philosophy simply: he aims to make people laugh rather than offend them, and said that when the laughs land, audiences tend to forgive whatever he says to get there. He also told the paper that comedians sometimes have to push the envelope to get the biggest reaction from a crowd.
Where the Material Comes From
According to the same Dispatch report, Wayans pulls his stand-up material from everyday life — errands, time with his children or girlfriend, and the news — along with family stories and social commentary. He also credited Mel Brooks and the Zucker brothers as predecessors in the parody filmmaking tradition he's built his career on, per the paper's account.
That tradition traces back decades. Wayans broke through on Fox's In Living Color in 1990 as DJ SW-1, joining brother Marlon Wayans and creator Keenen Ivory Wayans on a sketch show that ran five seasons and 127 episodes. He later co-created and starred in The Wayans Bros., which launched The WB network in January 1995 and ran 101 episodes through 1999.
From Menace to Scary Movie's Billion-Dollar Run
In 1996, Shawn and Marlon Wayans wrote and starred in the cult comedy Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, a spoof of 1990s hood dramas that grossed $20.1 million on a $3.8 million budget. Four years later came the original Scary Movie, which the pair co-wrote and starred in — a $19 million production that pulled in $278 million worldwide, outearning the $173 million global haul of Scream, the film it spoofed most directly.
The brothers reunited for 2004's White Chicks, a $37 million production that grossed $113 million worldwide and remains a cult favorite two decades later. This year's Scary Movie reboot reunited Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall and Anna Faris 26 years after the original, alongside cast members Deon Cole, Kenan Thompson, Chris Elliott, Cheri Oteri, Kim Wayans and Gregg and Damon Jr. Released in June, the reboot pulled in a $54.3 million domestic opening weekend and more than $231 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, pushing the franchise's cumulative global total past $1.1 billion — with the original 2000 film still standing as the series' top earner at $278 million.
An Easton Stage With Comedy Roots
The Columbus Funny Bone's showroom spans 3,500 square feet and seats up to 300 guests, with table service offering a full food and cocktail menu during performances. The Funny Bone brand has entertained Central Ohio audiences since 1987, hosting acts including Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Drew Carey, and it's part of a national comedy club chain founded in 1982 that also operates in Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland and Toledo.
Easton Town Center itself opened in June 1999 as a 1.7 million-square-foot open-air lifestyle center co-developed by The Georgetown Company and Steiner + Associates, drawing between 18 million and 30 million visits a year. Wayans' four-show run there follows a pattern of major names using the intimate club setting to connect directly with local crowds — comedian Damon Darling sold out three shows at the same venue in January 2025, and Hoodline previously covered Marlon Wayans' own stand-up dates tied to the Scary Movie reboot's release.
