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Wayne Brady is opening up about how his life has changed since coming out as pansexual.
The actor and comedian, who came out in 2023, shared his thoughts in a recent interview with PEOPLE in 10. In our conversation, Brady revealed that his life has changed for the better since publicly accepting his most authentic self, and that he hopes his decision to come out will have a positive impact on others.
“It hasn’t changed in the big sense of, ‘Oh, I’m dating or something,’ because I’m actually kind of hiding who I am,” Brady, 53, began.
He continued, “I believe that we are really trying to help the next generation, and that in every town in America, there are young black (or) dark-skinned kids who are growing up hating themselves or feeling ashamed or worse.” I hope they look at me and know me well and say, “Oh, that’s Wayne. So what did he just say?” So I don’t have to carry that stone.” ”
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“And that’s how I feel,” he added. “I feel lighter, because I am who I am. It makes me a better actor. It makes me a better stage performer. It makes me a better father. I can be a better partner to someone someday. I’m happier, I’m more cheerful. I’m happier. I’m more cheerful.”
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Brady is the father of a daughter, Maire Masako Brady, 22, with ex-wife Mandy Taketa.
The Let’s Make a Deal host opened up to PEOPLE EXCLUSIVELY about her path to self-discovery in August 2023.
“I’m pansexual,” he said at the time, meaning he’s attracted to people regardless of gender or gender.
“Bisexual — be open-minded!” he added with a laugh.
For him, he explained, “Ban means being attracted to people who identify as gay, straight, bi, transsexual, non-binary. It’s attraction across the board.”
“And I think that’s the right place, at least for me, at the moment. I interpreted it to mean that not only can I be physically attracted to any of these people or types, but I can also be attracted to the person that’s there,” he said.
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He added that the death of fellow performer Robin Williams in 2014 inspired him to start working on his mental health.
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“But once I opened the door to myself, I had to start learning about myself and start admitting that maybe it’s something that I’ve been repressing, that I’ve been repressing, or that I just don’t want to deal with. I’ve been working on a lot of other things over the years, but one of the last items on that checklist was, ‘What’s the one last thing I need to do to be truly happy and truly, authentically myself?’ he said.
Brady added that right now he’s just trying to be the “most Wayne Brady” he can be.
