Wayne Brady, a comedy legend well-known for his time on the show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the current host of Let’s Make a Deal, has come out as pansexual. The comedian opened up about his sexuality in a recent interview, and it’s good to see how those around him have supported him, including his ex-wife.
Brady made a name for himself on the comedic show Whose Line Is It Anyway? which started in Britain before moving stateside. He won audiences over with his comedic timing and huge mega-watt smile, which landed him more television gigs, including a guest role both as an actor and as a television personality, working as a guest host or judge on several shows with his longest and main role hosting Let’s Make a Deal since 2009.
In a recent interview with People, Brady opened up about his personal life; specifically, his coming out as pansexual. The term means sexually or romantically attracted to people regardless of sex or gender, but Brady has his own take on it, saying he is “Bisexual — with an open mind!” He expanded upon this, stating,
“In doing my research, both with myself and just with the world, I couldn’t say if I was bisexual, because I had to really see what that was, especially because I really have not gotten a chance to act on anything. So, I came to pansexual because — and I know that I’m completely messing up the dictionary meaning — but to me, pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary. Being able to be attracted across the board.”
Brady wanted to explore this part of himself after having suffered from clinical depression in the past, which resulted in a mental breakdown in 2014. He states that the death of Robin Williams at that time really forced him to think about his own mental health and credits his ex-wife Mandie Taketa for helping him through this part of his life and pulling him out the other side.
Brady and Taketa were married from 1999 to 2006, with the divorce finalized in 2007. Before this, Brady had already been married once to Diana Lasso from 1993 to 1995. He has one child, Maile Masako Brady, with Taketa, and they now consider themselves a blended family, with Taketa’s new partner Jason Fordham in the mix too.
Taketa and Grady are still very close, with Brady admitting that Taketa was the first person he came out to. Taketa also spoke to People on the topic, saying, “I just said, ‘Great.’ As I knew coming out would help him be happier.” His daughter is also very proud of her Dad for striving to live more authentically.
For Brady, this journey was about finding his own personal joy, given that he gives so much in many aspects of his life.
“I gave joy at work. But the pity is then I come home, and I don’t have that joy. I have joy because I love my daughter and I love my family. I love being a dad more than chocolate ice cream. But that can’t be my only joy. I have to love myself.”
Brady is now embracing all that he is, and showing others who is as well in an effort to no longer feel shame.
“I’ve told myself in the past, also, nobody needs to know my personal business. The world can absolutely go without knowing that Wayne identifies as pan. But that gave me license to still live in the shadows and to be secretive. What does that feel like to actually not be shameful, to not feel like, “Oh, I can’t be part of this conversation because I’m lying?” I had to break that behavior.”
Currently, Brady has no wife or partner of any kind, stating that he is currently single and not prepared to date yet as he’s “got some work to do still.” As he puts it himself, the comedian is trying to “be the best Wayne Brady that everybody wants and expects. I can be the best dad that Maile needs. I can be the best friend to Mandie, the best son to my mother, and one day, the best partner to someone because I’m doing this for me.”
We can probably find out more when his Hulu, eight-episode reality show airs next year, though there is no date yet set for its release.
