Wayne Brady Says Coming Out as Pansexual Was 'About Me Being Happy,' Wishes He Did it 'Earlier' (Exclusive)

"You get a level of freedom that you're happy with. No one's going to throw me a parade," he told PEOPLE of life after opening up about his sexuality

Wayne Brady is living his best life.

On Monday, May 20, the TV personality, 51, attended Live Out Loud’s 23rd annual Young Trailblazers Gala in New York City, where he received the Pathfinder Award in recognition of his support and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. He told PEOPLE ahead of that gala that it's "amazing to be honored," but it also makes him think back on his own life.

"Knowing the work that's being done here, and the fact that I can talk to the youth and try to encourage them to live out loud, it's something that I wish that I would've done earlier," Brady said on the red carpet. "The fact that the organization can encourage them and make them feel safe — that's something I wish that I would've done."

In the nine months since he came out as pansexual exclusively to PEOPLE, Brady said life doesn't look all that different — but he noted one major change.

"It's been a year. Folks expect your life to change in some radical way, and it doesn't. It just changes that you get a level of freedom that you're happy with," he said. "No one's going to throw me a parade. It's more about me being happy."

Related: Wayne Brady Details the 'Biggest Misconception' of Being Pansexual: 'Let Me Set You Straight' (Exclusive)

As for how his news has been received by his fans and the world, Brady says he got "the response that I would've hoped" for.

"A lot of people loved it and applaud you, some people don't care, and other people probably hate on it. So that's just the human condition," the Grammy nominee said. "But, at the end of the day, circling back around to the last year, I'm happy. So, no matter what any of them say, I'm great."

Brady has recently been taking the Broadway stage in the revival of The Wiz, which sees him take on the titular role in what he told PEOPLE is a full-circle moment in his career.

"This show is a benchmark, and not just for me, but for a lot of Black performers," he said of the show, which he remembers watching when he was younger through the 1978 film adaptation starring Diana Ross. "That was the first time we saw such amazing singing and dancing on a screen from people who looked like us."

It's a role that called to him — and the team behind the Broadway revival felt the same way. "I keep thinking about a conversation I had with Schele [Williams]. She said, 'Wayne, when I thought of the Wiz, I thought of you. You were the phone call,'" he recalled of the moment the show's director invited him to join. "I've got the challenge where you join something and go, 'Okay, how am I going to make this mine?' "

Related: Deborah Cox, Common, Sherri Shepherd and More Stars Hit Yellow Brick Carpet for Opening of The Wiz on Broadway

Brady will also be back on viewers' screens this summer with a new reality series, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix, which brings fans behind the scenes into his family life.

The upcoming Freeform show, premiering in July, follows his blended family, which includes his ex-wife Mandie Taketa, their daughter Maile Brady, 21, Taketa's new "life partner" Jason Fordham and their son, 3-year-old Sundance-Isamu.

“With Brady at a sudden crossroads in his life, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix offers an intimate look into his blended family’s personal life, revealing unexpected points of view and values that most people (including his own family) have a hard time understanding,” reads the official synopsis. “People see their social media posts — from vacations to dancing in TikToks — but what’s behind the joyful 15 seconds of fun? Their real life is not always as easy and as simple as it seems.”

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Wayne Brady: The Family Remix premieres on Freeform July 24 at 10 p.m. ET.

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