Wayne Brady, host of ‘Let’s Make a Deal,’ comes out as pansexual
Wayne Brady is opening up about his sexuality, revealing that he’s “attracted across the board.”
The “Let’s Make a Deal” host sat down with People for a vulnerable discussion about shame, sexuality and mental health that was published on Monday. “I am pansexual,” he told the outlet.
“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 outlet. “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.”
Janelle Monáe came out as pansexual in 2018, and searches for the word “pansexual” on Merriam-Webster skyrocketed. The term is defined as “characterized by sexual desire or attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation.”
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In the last decade, Brady has been on a self-discovery journey, prompted by the 2014 death of Robin Williams and Brady’s own debilitating battle with depression. “I did all the therapy I could do. I was treated for love addiction. It’s a part of my journey. I had to start examining why I was looking for myself and happiness in a slew of people,” he told People.
“And so, in doing that work, I now know absolutely that love addiction is born of trauma. I can’t feel any shame around that, just like I wouldn’t shame somebody if they said they were addicted to meth or cocaine. That’s a sickness.”
While participating in therapy, the comedian found himself wondering “Wayne, um, are you gay?”
Although Brady does not identify as gay, he said he struggled realizing he was attracted to certain men in his life, because he was overcome with shame and wanted to push it aside because of the way he was raised. “And because I live in today’s world, and it’s scary as s—.”
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Brady, who says he’s single and open-minded, first came out to his ex-wife Taketa, 47 (whom he still lives with), and his daughter Maile, 20. The “Whose Line Is It Anyway” alum is filming a reality series about his blended family, starring him and his daughter, his ex-wife, and her new partner, Jason Fordham. It hits Hulu next year.
Brady also takes the lead role in “The Wiz” in performances in San Francisco from Jan. 16 to Feb. 11, 2024, at the Golden Gate Theatre, and then in Los Angeles from Feb. 13 to March 3, before landing on Broadway in the spring.
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