The former 'Wayne Brady Show' host hopes to inspire people to 'take their own story in their own hands' with his publicly coming out as pansexual in August.
- Dec 17, 2023
AceShowbiz - Wayne Brady thinks it's "never too late to take hold of your story." The 51-year-old star announces he's pansexual in August, and Wayne has subsequently been inundated with messages from people who are going through similar experiences.
"I've gotten so many DMs, emails and texts from people who, at a midpoint in their life, want to express themselves, whether it's changing their work or coming out. It's never too late to take hold of your story … for teenagers, young adults, theatre students and young black men who question the idea of masculinity, and what it all means," he told Yahoo Entertainment.
Wayne hopes that he's inspired others to "take their own story in their own hands." He added, "Past a certain point, life becomes too short to live in the dark all the time. To have people say, 'Hey, you inspire me, not just on stage, but you inspire me to live my truth,' has been the best part."
Earlier this year, Wayne announced that he's pansexual, meaning he's attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender. Speaking to PEOPLE, Wayne explained, "In doing my research, both with myself and just with the world, I couldn't say if I was bisexual, because I had to really see what that was, especially because I really have not gotten a chance to act on anything."
"So, I came to pansexual because - and I know that I'm completely messing up the dictionary meaning - but to me, pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary. Being able to be attracted across the board."
"And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place. I took pan to mean 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."
