“I don’t think it’s that interesting to listen to someone speak for a few hours a week,” he explains. “I still have things to do, you know. Write some material and go on stage. It’s like listening to a disc jockey on a radio station in the morning. A real comedian will retreat and use it like an incubator to develop ideas. And then they go on stage and try to make a performance out of things they would essentially throw away. They included it in the podcast and are now trying to add value to it.”

With Poppa’s House, Wayans produces his podcast from home, so there are no “silos” of people you want to include. Podcast guests are brought into the house here.

Key to the action: Damon Wayans Jr., who plays a dreamer who still lives with his father. The two often clash and have to enlighten each other about their worlds.

Although Junior plays the son, he is not the inspiration for the role. Son Michael, who also works as an author in the series, is the original.

“We have a somewhat contentious relationship where we often butt heads,” says Wayans. “He is an artist and stays true to his style. He is learning. He’s growing, but what I’ve learned as a parent is that they don’t just grow when you want them to. I see my son Michael coming into his own.”

Music – the key to the “real” Poppa house – is a way for Wayans to relax. “I sit there and listen to vinyl for probably an hour a day,” he says. “You just try to feel the music.” This music room serves as the inspiration for the show. Artists like Marvin Gaye, he says, “inspire me to try to reach that level. Even though it’s a sitcom, I think we can manage to get people to reveal something.”

Poppa, he says, is a reflection. “You have to have character. Right now I’m a big part of this character, so it’s easy for me to go in and play him.”

Comedy, Wayans says, requires rhythm, just like music. “It has to be the right word. I also listen to comedy albums and learn from them – Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, George Carlin.

“Unfortunately comedy is pretty safe and boring these days and everyone talks about the same thing. Comedy is definitely a moment-of-moment thing.”

Cancel culture, he adds, is a problem. This also applies to critics who want to tell him what he should talk about. This conversation should be left to the experts. “Jerry Seinfeld might criticize my comedy and I will be receptive to it, but if you’ve never bought, sold or told a joke, you’re not qualified.”

This dour attitude was exactly what executive producer Dean Lorey was looking for. In the original pilot, Wayans worked at a radio station and then came home. It was always difficult to get people from both countries to interact. Moving Poppa’s career into his home “will allow us to integrate the life of the family into the life of the show,” he says. Other regulars – including an on-air partner, played by Essence Atkins, and Junior’s wife, played by Tetona Jackson – will help drive home the show’s premise. According to Wayans, “It’s about one person starting and one person starting over.”

When the set designers began designing the place that would be called “Poppa’s House,” they were directed by Wayans, who said it looked like a place he would call home.

The podcast will include cameras so the characters can be seen and interacted.

The rest of the house offers enough space for family interaction. This is where, says Wayans, the relatives really shine. “That’s what we enjoy most. It’s like being a little kid again. We laugh and joke and nothing is sacred.”