Wayne Brady Set To Host The 2022 American Music Awards
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Wayne Brady has been tapped to host the 2022 American Music Awards. Following the announcement, the improv pro shared his excitement over landing the gig.
“I was ecstatic,” Brady, 50, told People of the moment he found out he’d be hosting the 49th AMAs. “I actually lost my mind. That is one of the most amazing feelings. You feel like one of the cool kids in school.
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“Besides being a host, and besides being a musician, I just love music,” he continued. “So to be a music lover in the middle of music, all these musicians that you look up to and these new musicians that are paving the way and bursting onto the scene, it’s really a remarkable night to be a part of.”
Brady also isn’t concerned with anyone who considers his passion to be corny, a critique he’s often been forced to dismiss throughout his career.
“In this business and in life, people don’t like it if you feel too happy or excited or too eager, it’s cool to be disaffected. But in my mind, I’m too old to play that card,” he said. “I’m a grown-a** man, and when I’m a fan of something or somebody, I yell it from the rooftops. So I’m giddy with excitement. I am just over the moon, and I don’t care if it isn’t cool, I’m going to live my life that night.”
Having once hosted the AMAs pre-show almost 20 years ago, the Whose Line Is It Anyway star considers the upcoming job a “full-circle moment,” adding, “I’ve got all these years of experience to pull from now.”
“I approach it like I approach every hosting gig, my job as a host is to make the audience at home comfortable and to make the proceedings run smoothly,” he continued. “The night isn’t about me. It’s not the AWAYNEAs, it’s the AMAs. I’m there to make this thing work.”
Brady went on to say that he knows he’ll be playing “the best traffic cop in the world” as he attempts to keep both live and at-home viewers entertained. Preparations thus far have included listening to tons of new music and doing his best to be ready for the unpredictable, “because like James Brown said, ‘If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready.'”
The television personality added that he’ll likely give the people a lavish opening number to set the night off right, perhaps even busting out some of his Dancing With the Stars moves, as he’s currently a contestant on the popular show.
“And then at some point, I would love to be able to freestyle or do an improvisational piece using people from the audience, because as a fan, and as a music lover, and as a musician, to be able to improvise musically on the AMAs would be the highlight of my life,” he added.
Brady will be following Cardi B, who hosted the show last year.
Bad Bunny is the most nominated act of the 2022 with eight nods under his belt, followed by Beyoncé and Drake with six nominations each.
Fan voting for all awards is now open with the exception of Favorite K-Pop Artist, which will open on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The 2022 American Music Awards airs live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
