Damon Wayans Jr. is the son of actor and comedian Damon Wayans, and was born in Los Angeles, California on July 30, 1982. He came from a prominent celebrity family and has three siblings, of which he is the eldest. He was educated at the Otis College of Art and Design, later diving into a career into the entertainment industry.
Wayans first appeared on television in My Wife and Kids, which also stars his father. While he only had a guest role there, he later worked as a staff writer on the show. In addition to that, he also helped pen the series The Underground, a sketch comedy show that he and his father starred in. More comic roles followed, and he was especially praised for his debut performance on Def Comedy Jam.
In 2009, Damon Wayans Jr. finally got a lead role. He was cast in the Wayans family comedy Dance Flick as Thomas. Soon, he found himself lending his voice to a character in the live-action movie adaptation of Marmaduke, starring Owen Wilson and Lee Pace. He later starred in the ABC fall sitcom Happy Endings, working alongside Zachary Knighton, Elisha Cuthbert, Eliza Coupe, Adam Pally and Casey Wilson. Soon, he found himself cast on the FOX series New Girl, where he played the character Coach. He has also been seen on the movie The Other Guys and voiced the character Thunder on the film Marmaduke.