Wayne Brady Opens Up About His Pansexual Orientation: “I’m Not Hiding Anything Now”
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Wayne Brady has proudly gotten candid about identifying as pansexual in an exclusive interview with ET. The actor, host, and singer announced his sexual orientation back in August, declaring that he now is “able to love whomever I want no matter the vessel.”
Sharing that he’s attracted to people solely for personality, he told the outlet that he isn’t necessarily saying that he’s “going to be in a relationship with another man.” He mentioned that it’s possible for him to be attracted to a man, woman, non-binary, or a trans person because of who they are.
“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,” he said. “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.'”
“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. 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.”
Speaking of dating, he added that he’s not ready to put himself on the dating market. However, he’s looking forward to his “coming out,” making him a “truthful ally” to the LGBTQ+ community.
“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 said. “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.”
He continued, “Now I can be a truthful ally and not just an ally on the outside, but helping with the education piece and saying, ‘Let’s clarify these things.’ I have so many of my family and friends who are gay, who are lesbian, my nieces who are trans. They walk outside every day, and they live their real truth unadulterated, walking in nothing but the armor of love and themselves. Those are the brave ones.”
Deeming his own truth as a natural resource for helping others struggling with their sexual orientation, he said, “If by me just speaking my truth… that can help in any way, shape or form, then I’m mad I didn’t do it earlier.”
The thespian also expressed that him revealing that he’s pansexual hasn’t affected his showmanship.
He said, “Me coming out and saying that I may identify as pansexual still doesn’t stop me from being the dopest host on TV and doing what I do. Still doesn’t stop me from being amazing at my job. In fact, if anything, I feel even better, because I’m lighter.”
Further in Brady’s conversation with ET, he foreshadowed how he’d like to live the rest of his life as an honest man.
“When I do go out — which could be tomorrow, it could be 25 years or 30 years — my hope is Wayne lived the rest of his life happily and able to meet everything,” he expressed. “That’s all that I could hope for everybody. I want everybody to experience that to a certain degree, no matter what their truth is, because mental health is real. That depression monkey that can sit on your shoulder, that is real. So whatever you can do to get rid of that… do that.”
The 51-year-old is gearing up to play The Wizard in the Broadway-bound musical, The Wiz — opening on April 17, 2024. The Lets Make A Deal host shared his excitement to get back on the Broadway stage.
“I can’t say enough how excited I am about being a part of The Wiz. I happened at just the right time,” he said. “I’m so happy to just be a part of it.”
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