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Television personality Wayne Brady is shedding some light on his sexual identity.
The 51-year-old recently sat down for an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. During the interview, he made a strong revelation.
“I am pansexual,” he told the outlet. “Bisexual — with an open mind!” he then shared for further clarity.
According to the publication, pansexual is defined as being “attracted to persons regardless of their sex or gender.”
During the sitdown, Brady’s revelation was also confirmed by his ex-wife, Mandie Taketa, whom he shares a 20-year-old daughter with.
“… I knew coming out would help him be happier,” Taketa explained to the outlet.
Additionally, Brady and Taketa’s daughter, Maile, shared her sentiments.
“I just said, “Okay,'” she reportedly told the outlet before sharing a smile.
Brady went on to share that he was previously unable to identify as pansexual or bisexual because he “had to really see what that was.” Additionally, he explained that he hadn’t been able “to act on anything.”
“So, I came to pansexual because… 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, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place…”
Additionally, Brady explained that identifying as pansexual truly means that he is “attracted to the person that is there” rather than one’s outer physical appearance.
“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.”
Brady went on to share that despite his public persona and various career accolades as a tv personality, he’s naturally introverted. Additionally, he’s explained that he’s done a lot of inner work to free himself of the opinions of others.
“There’s a lot of therapy that I’m doing right now. I wish I didn’t care what people think of me, but the fact of the matter is, I do care. It’s a weird dichotomy, going from a screaming audience to sitting in a house, just chilling all by yourself.”
He then explained that he’s had to embark on a journey of nurturing his mental health in order to be “really happy and to be truly, authentically” himself.
“…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 wanna deal with. I’ve done a lot of work on a lot of other things until now, one of the last things on that checklist was, what’s one of the last things that you need to be really happy and to be truly, authentically yourself? I gave joy at work. But the pity is then I come home, and I don’t have that joy. I have joy because I love my daughter and I love my family. I love being a dad more than chocolate ice cream. But that can’t be my only joy. I have to love myself. 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.”
Before ending this revelation, Brady explained that there have been times when he was attracted to men. However, he pushed aside those feelings due to due of being emasculated.
“I’ve also been attracted to certain men in my life, but I’ve always pushed that aside because of how I was raised, and because I live in today’s world, and it’s scary as s**t. What’s the fastest way to hurt another man? I’m gonna call you out of your name. I’m gonna call you gay. I’m gonna emasculate you… I learned that very early from the people around me, they’re like, “Oh, so those are bad things? Yeah. You, you don’t wanna be that.”
Today, the 51-year-old says that he’s still “got some work to do.” However, he’s firmly planted on living in his new identity.
… I’m still coming together… I can be the best dad that Maile needs. I can be the best friend to Mandie, the best son to my mother, and one day, the best partner to someone, because I’m doing this for me… it’s not about being with someone right now. I’ve got some work to do still. Then, Wayne as a single, open-minded pansexual can make a decision and be free and open to other people.”
