Comedian Wayne Brady has announced that he identifies as pansexual.
In a sit-down with People, the 51-year-old explained his sexuality and how he came to understand himself. According to Brady, his ex-wife Mandie Taketa was the first person he revealed his secret to, and she offered endless support to the father of her daughter.
“I just said, ‘Great.’ As I knew coming out would help him be happier,” Taketa revealed. Their daughter, 20-year-old Malie, had a similar reaction, which helped the talk show host become more comfortable with his feelings.
According to the star, he began doing research and soon realized he was pansexual. This is defined as being sexually, emotionally, or romantically attracted to people, regardless of their sex or gender, via WebMD. Brady says due to never having the “chance to act on anything,” he didn’t feel that labeling himself bisexual was appropriate.
“To me, pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual, or non-binary,” he explained. “Being able to be attracted across the board. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place.” However, he is still leaving the door open to a different label, calling his current place in life, “bisexual with an open mind!”
Throughout his career, Brady has constantly faced rumors about him being gay. He has long advocated for the LGBTQIA+ community, which only fueled the discussions surrounding his sexuality. Even after several known relationships with women, the chatters continued. Brady was married from 1993 to 1995 to singer Diana Lasso before walking down the aisle with Taketa in 1999, though they split in 2008. He and Taketa remain close, despite her new partner Jason Fordham.
Brady is now in therapy and admits that he is still fearful of how people view him, despite a thriving career that has earned him several awards, including an Emmy for his role on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
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