- Genentech, in partnership with advocacy group diaTribe, launched the "All Eyes on DME" campaign, a multi-channel initiative that uses humor to destigmatize diabetes-related vision conditions, with Damon Wayans serving as paid spokesperson.
- DME currently affects 750,000 people in the U.S. People of color are two to three times more likely to experience sight-threatening diabetes-related conditions, and around 60% of Americans with diabetes skip their recommended annual eye exams entirely.
- Wayans, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2008, says the campaign hit close to home. He has recently been experiencing depth perception issues with his own sight, prompting him to schedule an eye check himself.
- The campaign hub, AllEyesonDME.com, provides educational resources on DME symptoms and risk factors, plus tools to help patients prepare for doctor conversations.
Damon Wayans is putting his signature humor to work for a serious cause. The comedy legend has signed on as the paid spokesperson for Genentech’s “All Eyes on DME” campaign, developed alongside diabetes advocacy group diaTribe.
The multi-channel campaign uses humor to destigmatize diabetes-related vision conditions and drive awareness of diabetic macular edema (DME), a leading, often-overlooked cause of vision loss among people with diabetes.
Wayans, diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2008, says the partnership felt personal. He has been experiencing depth perception problems himself and is now going to get his eyes checked.
This marks his first known partnership with Genentech. The 50-year-old biotech company, a member of the Roche Group, researches and develops treatments for a range of eye diseases including wet AMD, DME, and diabetic retinopathy.
Their previous health awareness work has been primarily medical in focus, making this celebrity-led humor campaign a notable shift in strategy.
Just this week, Wayans also said farewell to his CBS sitcom Poppa’s House, which co-starred his son Damon Wayans Jr. and was canceled after one season, with the elder Wayans calling it “a beautiful journey.”
This campaign comes at the exact same moment, a clear pivot toward advocacy work. Similar brand-meets-celebrity awareness plays have become a growing trend, like when Terry Crews partnered with Hisense and when Keegan-Michael Key starred in a campaign for Ore-Ida.
Genentech noted that people of color are two to three times more likely to develop significant vision conditions from diabetes, making it critical to address this urgent disparity, exactly the community Wayans is speaking directly to.
Takeaways
This partnership is a textbook case of authentic celebrity advocacy done right. Wayans isn’t just a famous face, he’s a Type 2 diabetes patient who is living the very health risks this campaign is designed to address. That personal connection adds real weight to an otherwise easy-to-ignore public health message.
Genentech’s decision to lead with humor, through a comedian who’s been making people laugh for over three decades, shows a smart understanding of how to break through in communities that are often resistant to medical conversations.
For Wayans, it also signals a mature evolution in his public presence, from sitcom star to health advocate, at the exact moment his TV chapter draws to a close.
Does Damon Wayans’ personal diabetes story make you more likely to take the campaign’s message seriously? Should more pharmaceutical companies use humor and culture-first storytelling to reach underserved communities about serious health risks?
