Wayne Brady Opens Up About Sexuality: ‘I Am Pansexual’

Wayne Brady, comedian and host of Let’s Make a Deal, shared his personal journey to overcoming shame and accepting his gender identity.

“I am pansexual,” Brady, 51, said in an interview with People published on Monday. “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,” said Brady. “Being able to be attracted across the board. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place.”

Brady was married to his ex-wife Mandie Taketa from 1999 to 2008, and she was the first person he came out to. “I just said, ‘Great.’ As I knew coming out would help him be happier,” she told the outlet.

Despite having in a community of family and friends who are in the LGBTQ+ community, the actor said he would eat a “shame cake” every day and that he was worried about people finding out about his own sexuality. “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,” he said, adding, “But that gave me license to still live in the shadows and to be secretive.”

The actor also recalled how the death of Robin Williams in 2014 deeply impacted him and set him on a path to “learning about myself” and self-love. “I had to start owning up to things that maybe I’d either repressed, suppressed, or just didn’t wanna deal with,” he continued.

Today, the comedian is single and focusing on being “the best Wayne Brady” because “I’m doing this for me.” 

From Rolling Stone US.