Wayne Brady came out as pansexual during a People magazine interview Monday.
“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,” Brady told the magazine. “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. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place. I took pan to mean that not only can I be attracted to any of these people or types physically, but I could be attracted to the person that is there.”
Brady, who is known for his time on the “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” game show and “The Wayne Brady Show” variety show, is currently filming a reality TV show with his daughter, Maile, and ex-wife, Mandi Taketa, and his ex-wife’s family. Brady said he first came out to Taketa.
“I just said, ‘Great,’” Taketa told People. “As I knew coming out would help him be happier.”
Brady’s daughter was also fine with it.
“I just said, ‘Okay,’” Maile said.
Brady also told the magazine that he’s been attracted to men before but never dated men.
“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 s―t,” he said. “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.”
Brady said that Robin Williams’ death in 2014 affected him and made him start learning about mental health and that, while he said he has never been suicidal, he has empathy for people who are. He said he went to therapy and was treated for “love addiction,” in which he was looking for happiness in other people.
“I got to a point where I thought, ‘I’m not here, then whatever this pain is, whatever this loneliness is, this soul-crushing loneliness, I could stop it. I could be absolutely pain-free of whatever this is inside of me.’ And when I felt that, I went, ‘Oh, s―t. Okay, let’s get to the bottom of it. Let’s do it now.’”
Brady said he is single right now but is an “open-minded pansexual” and is trying to be the best Brady he can be.