Whither WayoutTV?

Life is tough for fans of the comedian Damon Wayans. They're treated to short bursts of the celebrity in the limelight, and then he disappears. There was "In Living Color," and then he was gone after a few short years. Then the ABC sitcom "My Wife and Kids," which was eventually yanked.

Earlier this year, fans learned that they might be able to see the actor's work whenever they wanted through WayOutTV.com, a website and YouTube channel that would feature videos handpicked by Wayans. Some even featured him.

The website hasn't been exactly beloved: Its "Abortion Man" video, which showed a superhero beating up a pregnant teenager to help her boyfriend, prompted outrage. YouTube reportedly pulled ads from Wayans' channel after the outcry. But still, it was a site created by a celebrity. Those don't die that quickly.

Yet anyone trying to log on to WayOutTV.com recently would find the website gone, with no explanation. Some fans protested in anger. Others rejoiced. GigaOm's online video site NewTeeVee, which called the idea of Wayans having his own video site "half-baked,"  reports that Wayans last signed on two months ago.

Where are you Damon Wayans?

Fear not, fans. According to Wayans' spokeswoman Yvette Shearer, the channel will return. Wayans is "retooling the site and adding new features," she said. He's also working on a new pilot for ABC, she said, so he's been pretty busy.  "It will go back up, he just doesn't know when."

And so the roller coaster ride of Wayans fandom continues.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo credit: YouTube