If living in one’s truth is a form of power, Wayne Brady is using it to its full potential. The actor, comedian, presenter and stage star (he recently completed a tour in The Magician on Broadway) reveals his true life without apologies in the new reality series Wayne Brady, The Family Remixfrom his love life to fatherhood.
“It’s scary and there could be consequences,” Brady told EBONY last July at the Television Critics Conference in Pasadena, California, about working on a reality series that invites outsiders into his world. But fear didn’t stop him. “Nobody made me do it with a gun. That was special, and even though it was hard on one hand, it was the most freeing feeling ever. And I happened to get to do it with the most important people in my life.”
This includes his best friend, soulmate and business partner Mandie Taketa, who also happens to be his ex-wife. Together they run their production company A Wayne & Mandie Creative (“Wayne Brady’s Comedy IQ”). They are also co-parents of their 21-year-old daughter, student and aspiring artist Maile Brady. Rounding out this remix is Jason Michael Fordham, Mandie’s partner since 2009.
Brady’s openness on screen is refreshing as he reveals his devotion as a father and talks about his pansexual love life. “I’m very blessed because I think it’s been easier for me than maybe for some other people who struggle more and don’t have the resources that I have.”
Perhaps even more surprising to those who follow Brady’s life on screen is that he is about to become a father for the second time. He and a former partner recently welcomed their son, Val Henry.
Here the cast shares their thoughts on their “Modern Family” remix.
Mandie Taketa
About her loving friendship with Wayne:
“We were best friends before we got together. It didn’t work out in marriage, but I feel like he has some closure in life. I can just love him in a more supportive way now that I’m not married to him. He’s my best friend. He’s my family. We’re cut from the same cloth.
About Wayne’s search for love:
“I was just happy that he was taking a step towards self-love and self-acceptance. All I want for Wayne is for him to be happy and healthy. I love him no matter what. It’s always been that way.”
Maile Brady
About life with dad:
“I think my dad has made it easier for me in terms of when I can come home and so on. It’s kind of up to me. We have a nice life dynamic. We drink coffee in the morning and go about our day; sometimes we have dinner together. I think we’re, how do you say it? Harmonious. I think we live pretty harmoniously together now.”
Jason Michael Fordham
On building a bridge between him and Wayne:
“Wayne was never mean or unkind, but our bond developed over time, through time spent together at family dinners and family vacations. Whatever was going on in Wayne’s head and however he felt about it, he may have expressed it to Mandie, and I would say she may have cushioned some of it. It was in small increments of time. Wayne was always very inclusive because he loved Mandie and Maile. I could see that was the priority. In practice, that meant that sometimes I had to show up, but other times Maile just needed time with Mom and Dad. 15 years later, we’ve built a friendship and a loving relationship by supporting each other. But he still doesn’t invite me over to play video games.”
Wayne Brady
About his search for love:
“Nothing has changed. I feel like people expect, ‘Well, because you’ve changed and gone through your life, are you now wearing high-heeled boots and a top hat and a bustier?’ No, I’m the same guy I was the day before this announcement. It’s just different information and it lets me navigate. In some ways, it’s as important as it can be, but for me personally, it’s not a big deal and it’s not the center of our conversation. It’s about a family that looks like us and how we support each other.
Back to the topic of parenthood:
“When parents have a child later in life and then say, ‘Oh, now I can do it right.’ Well, that’s pretty crappy. It’s a way of saying you didn’t get it right the first time. I feel like I got it right the first time as a father. I made so many mistakes, hit my head and fell over. But look at this wonderful woman. With Val, it’s not that I want to get it right. When Miley was a little girl, life was crazy because I was like, I have to do this show, I have to move, I can’t stand still. What I can do differently now is be more present.
How to live your truth without labels:
“We didn’t even think of (our family) as non-traditional, because that means you’re too self-aware. It’s just family. But it’s a found family. Why are we still part of each other’s lives? Because we want to be. Maile is what Mandie and I have in common biologically. But I love Mandie outside of Maile too. There are relationships here that are strong enough to exist, not because we have to, but because we want to. And we don’t see enough of that.”
Discover new episodes of Wayne Brady: The Family Remix Wednesdays on Freeform.
