Wayne Brady has a long and successful career in showbiz, with plenty of fans thanks to his work in projects like Whose Line Is It Anyway and hosting Let's Make a Deal, not to mention appearances in film and on stage. Now, the star is generating buzz due to his personal life, as the 51-year-old has come out as pansexual with a long statement in his own words. To celebrate telling his story, Brady posted a fun video that included friends, family, confetti, and a Celine Dion classic!
The actor/host/TV personality came out as pansexual to People, in a long statement in which he shared what being pan means to him as well as the long process of learning to love himself and be authentic. He then took to TikTok to post a video that starts out small – even with Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" playing over it – before transforming into a celebration full of choreography, props, rainbow confetti, and even a costume change. Take a look:
@waynebrady ♬ original sound - Shannon
Let it not be said that Wayne Brady doesn't know how to celebrate personal accomplishments! I'd be lying if I claimed that I didn't immediately watch that video a couple more times after I saw it for the first time, and I honestly will almost certainly get a few more views in. I was won over from the opening moment of Brady sporting a big smile, and what's not to love about how the video became increasingly elaborate? Ending with a wig, a wind machine, rainbow confetti, and the actor showing off his physical comedy just made me wish that it lasted longer.
Brady tagged three people in the TikTok post: ex-wife Mandie Taketa, daughter Maile Masako Brady, and Taketa's boyfriend Jason Fordham. In his Instagram repost of the video, he also tagged dancer/choreographer Christopher Quiban, who worked with him on The Wayne Brady Show as well as his tour. The caption that The Masked Singer winner included on his TikTok is also worth a read, as he wrote:
As someone who gets to bring joy to others daily on tv, it's been ironic that I don't experience it as much as I'd like. I advocate mental health for all and a part of that is self transparency. In doing my work, I've come to see a few truths, one of them being that I want to be free to love whomever I want. This truth makes me Pan and part of the lgbtq+ family. It's scary as hell to say out loud but here it is. The people I admire the most are the ones brave enough to be themselves unapologetically. This shouldn't shake anyone's world, but if it bothers you at all, that's your business:) I was so afraid of having my manhood questioned, but screw that. A 'real man' in my eyes, isn't afraid to be honest and happy. From now on, I'll be over here living my best life!
The Dancing with the Stars Season 31 competitor's caption echoed what he said in his statement to People, in which he shared with the outlet that to him, being pansexual "means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary" and "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 went on to share that it was the death of Robin Williams in 2014 that set him on his "path to self-discovery," and he went on to work on becoming "authentically" himself and having to learn to love himself as a source of joy. Realizing that he had a "love deficit" was what he describes as his "rock bottom," and he went through therapy and was treated for "love addiction."
His journey of self-discovery has led to him coming out as pan, and the video he released shows that he's celebrating sharing that truth with the world. He shared that while he's "not dating yet," then "Wayne as a single, open-minded pansexual can make a decision and be free and open to other people." Hopefully he continues to celebrate his big decision, and I for one am glad that fans are able to celebrate with him!
