Current:Home > BackWayne Brady of 'Let's Make a Deal' comes out as pansexual: 'I have to love myself'-LoTradeCoin
Wayne Brady of 'Let's Make a Deal' comes out as pansexual: 'I have to love myself'
View Date:2024-12-24 00:35:25
Wayne Brady is learning to embrace his whole self.
In an interview with People magazine published Monday, the actor and TV host revealed he identifies as pansexual. Pansexuality is a sexual orientation under the LGBTQ umbrella that refers to individuals who are attracted to others regardless of their gender identity.
“Pan means being able to be…attracted across the board. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place,” Brady told the outlet. “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.”
The “Whose Line Is it Anyway?” star said his coming out journey was an extension of the self-discovery he found through his mental health advocacy work, which he said was inspired by the death of actor Robin Williams in 2014.
“Once I opened that door to myself though, I had to start learning about myself, and I had to start owning up to things that maybe I'd either repressed, suppressed, or just didn't want to deal with,” Brady said. “I gave joy at work. But the pity is then I come home, and I don't have that joy.”
“I have to love myself,” Brady continued. “And that's when I realized that I had a problem because if I can spend everything on stage and on camera but then I come home and there is a love deficit, what is going on? That was my rock bottom.”
Brady said while he’s experienced same-sex attraction in the past, he has “never dated a man.” He was previously married to Mandie Taketa, with whom he shares 20-year-old daughter Maile, as well as Diana Lasso.
“I've always pushed that aside because of how I was raised and because I live in today's world, and it's scary,” Brady said. “What's the fastest way to hurt another man? … I'm going to call you gay. I'm going to emasculate you.”
What is pansexual?What to know about the LGBTQ label.
The “Let’s Make a Deal” host added that he felt shame for not being able to be open about his queer identity and stand in solidarity with his “wonderful community of friends who are in the LGBTQ+ community.”
“I've told myself in the past, also, nobody needs to know my personal business. The world can absolutely go without knowing that Wayne identifies as pan,” Brady said. “But that gave me license to still live in the shadows and to be secretive. What does that feel like to actually not be shameful, to not feel like, ‘Oh, I can't be part of this conversation because I'm lying?’ I had to break that behavior.”
Despite his personal breakthrough, Brady said he’s not in a hurry to rev up his love life.
“I am single, but it's not about being with someone right now. I've got some work to do still,” Brady said. “Then, Wayne as a single, open-minded pansexual can make a decision and be free and open to other people.”
'A love that I always wanted':'Bachelor' star Gabby Windey announces she has a girlfriend
Contributing: David Oliver, USA TODAY
veryGood! (5458)
Related
- The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
- Huawei is releasing a faster phone to compete with Apple. Here's why the U.S. is worried.
- Pelosi announces she'll run for another term in Congress as Democrats seek to retake House
- Phoenix has set another heat record by hitting 110 degrees on 54 days this year
- ‘COP Fatigue’: Experts Warn That Size and Spectacle of Global Climate Summit Is Hindering Progress
- In Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff faces powerful, and complicated, opponent in US Open final
- Paris strips Palestinian leader Abbas of special honor for remarks on Holocaust
- Rita Wilson talks ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,’ surprise ‘phenomenon’ of the original film
- Study finds Wisconsin voters approved a record number of school referenda
- Soccer star Achraf Hakimi urges Moroccans to ‘help each other’ after earthquake
Ranking
- Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
- In Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff faces powerful, and complicated, opponent in US Open final
- Elon Musk and Grimes Have a Third Child, New Biography Says
- From leaf crisps to pudding, India’s ‘super food’ millet finds its way onto the G20 dinner menu
- Food prices worried most voters, but Trump’s plans likely won’t lower their grocery bills
- Jennifer Lopez, Sofia Richie and More Stars Turn Heads at Ralph Lauren's NYFW 2024 Show
- Israeli army kills 16-year-old Palestinian in West Bank, claiming youths threw explosives
- Team USA loses to Germany 113-111 in FIBA World Cup semifinals
Recommendation
-
Republican David Schweikert wins reelection in affluent Arizona congressional district
-
Nationals owner Mark Lerner disputes reports about Stephen Strasburg's planned retirement
-
Affirmative action wars hit the workplace: Conservatives target 'woke' DEI programs
-
Apple set to roll out the iPhone 15. Here's what to expect.
-
Georgia lawmaker proposes new gun safety policies after school shooting
-
Police fatally shoot man who was holding handgun in Idaho field
-
Who says money can’t buy happiness? Here’s how much it costs (really) in different cities
-
Children in remote Alaska aim for carnival prizes, show off their winnings and launch fireworks