Wayne Brady on the Freedom of Dating as Publicly Pansexual: 'I'm Not Hiding Anything Now'
The actor and comedian admitted it "would be hard for me to truly put myself 100 percent into a relationship" before he came out about his sexuality exclusively to PEOPLE last month
Wayne Brady isn’t setting limitations when it comes to dating.
The 51-year-old Let’s Make a Deal host reflected on being open to more possibilities when it comes to finding a partner since exclusively revealing to PEOPLE that he is pansexual last month.
Brady told Entertainment Tonight that he is "able to love whomever I want no matter the vessel” since coming out about his sexuality.
"It would be hard for me to truly put myself 100 percent into a relationship when there's this nagging doubt that I have not explored that piece of me,” he explained. “Or even given voice to having that option.”
Related: Wayne Brady Comes Out as Pansexual: 'I'm Doing This for Me' (Exclusive)
He continued, "It doesn't mean that it's ever going to manifest itself in a relationship with a man, or a relationship with this person. I don't know, but at least being able to voice that, so that, if I go into a relationship, whomever I'm in a relationship with knows me 100 percent."
The comedian also opened up about having a new-found freedom since publicly acknowledging his sexuality in August.
"The best part is, now that I've said this out loud, I don't have to worry. I could show up at a red carpet,” he said. “I could be at Denny's for all you know, I'm not ducking anybody... because it is what it is, and I'm free to do that."
Brady revealed that he is now embracing who is he without hesitation, sharing, "I think that's the piece that was missing, that I couldn't verbalize, 'cause I couldn't lock on to it. I always felt this much dishonest, and if I was being dishonest, then there's no way to truly give yourself 100 percent.”
Related: Wayne Brady Visits Disneyland with His Daughter Maile After Coming Out as Pansexual
"Now I feel differently about that 'cause I went, 'Oh, well now you know. So if you were to be involved with me, you know Wayne in totality.' I'm not hiding anything now, so now I can approach you in a way that I never have," he continued.
"At the end of the day for me that just means that I am free to voice the option. Here's the thing: it may never happen... I'm not saying that I am going to be in a relationship with another man. I'm saying it is very possible for me to be attracted to the man because of the person. I can be attracted to this beautiful woman because of the person. But then again, that may be a non-binary person that might go, 'Oh, I'm attracted to you. I'm attracted to this trans person.'"
Related: Wayne Brady Comes Out as Pansexual — What to Know About the LGBTQ Label
Despite embracing his true self, Brady admitted he may not be ready to jump into the dating pool, joking, "I would not inflict me on somebody."
"The best thing that I could do for myself right now and to do for someone else is to not be in a relationship, is to just breathe," he shared. "There are things that I want to do... I just want to work right now. I want to continue to go to therapy, so that when I am ready to either pursue or be pursued, whomever that may be, my aim is to be my best self."
Brady exclusively revealed to PEOPLE that he is pansexual last month. “Bisexual — with an open mind!” he further explained with a chuckle.
Brady recounted coming to that realization, telling PEOPLE, “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,” he explained.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
As for his decision to share his identity publicly, Brady said he wanted to be truthful to himself and to others.
“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. But that gave me license to still live in the shadows and to be secretive,” he explained.
He added, “What does that feel like to actually not be shameful, to not feel like, ‘Oh, I can't be part of this conversation because I'm lying?’ I had to break that behavior.”
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
