Wayne Brady’s Transformative Journey: Embracing Pansexuality and Inspiring Others
In a candid conversation with Yahoo Entertainment, comedian and TV host Wayne Brady reflects on a year of transformation since publicly acknowledging his pansexuality. The 51-year-old Let’s Make a Deal host hopes that sharing his journey will serve as a beacon of encouragement for others navigating their own paths of self-discovery.
Since openly declaring his pansexuality in an August interview with People, Brady has been inundated with messages of support from individuals seeking to express themselves at various junctures in their lives. Pansexuality, for Brady, means being attracted to anyone regardless of their gender identity or expression.
Growing up in Georgia, Brady recalls suppressing his attraction to men due to societal expectations. In his People interview, he admitted, “I always pushed that aside because of how I was raised.” Now, Brady sees pansexuality as a way to be attracted to individuals across the spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities.
For Brady, the coming-out interview was just the first step. He emphasizes the importance of continuing on a journey toward self-acceptance and ownership of one’s narrative. “It’s never too late to take hold of your story,” he asserts, particularly encouraging teenagers, young adults, theater students, and young Black men to question societal norms around masculinity.
Inspiring others to embrace their own stories has become a driving force behind Brady’s work and activism. He stresses the significance of being unapologetically visible, a principle he puts into practice by performing alongside the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles for its Hooray For Holidays celebration on Dec. 16 and 17.
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Beyond the holiday season, Brady is set to make a triumphant return to Broadway in April 2024 for the revival of The Wiz. Despite his Broadway commitments, he reassures fans that he will promptly return to host CBS’s Let’s Make a Deal, a show he has led for nearly 14 years.
Brady, a firm believer in the unique energy of live performances, remains optimistic about the state of game shows. Despite setbacks during the 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike, he appreciates the irreplaceable connection that live shows create with the audience.
Looking ahead, Brady, along with his producing partner Mandie Taketa, is working on various projects, including a Hulu docuseries and others addressing race, inequality, and LGBTQ issues. With these endeavors, Brady aims to leverage his platform for positive impact, stating, “We are all about moving the needle, about doing things that are important to us.” Beyond eliciting laughter or tears, his goal is to make people think and initiate meaningful conversations on pressing issues.