closet door bustdown

Wayne Brady comes out in new interview: “I was so afraid of having my manhood questioned”

Wayne Brady in a black suit

Wayne Brady is speaking his truth.

The 51-year-old Let’s Make a Deal host addressed his sexuality in a new interview with People published on Monday evening.

“I am pansexual,” he told the outlet, before adding, “bisexual–with an open mind!”

“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,” he said. “Being able to be attracted across the board. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place.”

Brady has been married twice, both times to women. He elaborated on the internal struggle he felt his entire life and how homophobia kept him from being able to live authentically.

“Let’s be really honest: I’ve also been attracted to certain men in my life, but I’ve always pushed that aside because of how I was raised, and because I live in today’s world, and it’s scary as sh*t,” the Whose Line Is It Anyway star noted. “What’s the fastest way to hurt another man? I’m gonna call you out of your name. I’m gonna call you gay. I’m gonna emasculate you. I’m gonna use the F-word. I learned that very early from the people around me, they’re like, ‘Oh, so those are bad things? Yeah. You, you don’t wanna be that.'”

He continued: “So, what does it mean if I feel something? I don’t think I’m gay, but what if I feel something for another [man]… That’s still gay. I was already bullied about a bunch of other s–t. I didn’t wanna add a top hat on top of that suit.”

Despite having friends and family in the LGBTQ+ community, he felt shame every day of his life and worried people would find out he wasn’t exclusively heterosexual.

“I’ve always had that community, but I’ve always felt like a sham because I wasn’t being forthcoming with myself,” Brady told the publication. “I could speak out about Black issues because I can’t hide that. And you can play at being an ally, but until the day that you can truly say, ‘This is who I am, and I wanna stand next to you,” that’s not… I always wanted that day to come.'”

That day has come and he has full support of his ex-wife Mandie Taketa, 47, and their daughter, Maile, 20.

In fact, the entire family joined in to celebrate Brady’s announcement by filming a musical TikTok video set to Celine Dion’s 1996 hit “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” 

In the clip, Brady lip syncs to Dion as his family dances and waves a Pride flag in the background. By the end, the Emmy winner is decked out in a wig with a Beyonce-level fan blowing confetti into his mouth.

“The people I admire the most are the ones brave enough to be themselves unapologetically,” Brady captioned the video on Instagram. “This shouldn’t shake anyone’s world, but if it bothers you at all, that’s your business: I was so afraid of having my manhood questioned, but screw that. A ‘real man’ in my eyes, isn’t afraid to be honest and happy. From now on, I’ll be over here living my best life!”

In addition to his work in television, Brady also starred in the Tony-winning Broadway musical Kinky Boots as Simon/Lola in 2015.

In the last year, he’s appeared in the Showtime series American Gigolo, hosted the American Music Awards, and was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

Welcome to the family, Wayne!

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated