Wayne Brady | |
|---|---|
 Brady in 2015 | |
| Born | Wayne Alphonso Brady (1972-06-02)June 2, 1972 (age 52) Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Television | |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular cast member on the American version of theimprovisational comedy television seriesWhose Line Is It Anyway? He was the host of the daytime talk showThe Wayne Brady Show, the original host ofFox'sDon't Forget the Lyrics!, and he has hostedLet's Make a Deal since its 2009 revival.
Brady also performsmusical theatre; he portrayed Lola/Simon in theTony Award–winning musicalKinky Boots onBroadway from November 2015 to March 2016, and playedAaron Burr in the Chicago production ofHamilton from January 2017 to April 2017.
Brady has won fiveEmmy Awards. He won his first Emmy Award for his work onWhose Line Is It Anyway? in 2003, two more in the next year forThe Wayne Brady Show, and two forLet's Make a Deal. He has also been nominated for twoGrammy Awards:Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for his cover of theSam Cooke song "A Change Is Gonna Come", andBest Musical Theater Album for the soundtrack ofThe Wiz.
Brady was born inColumbus, Georgia,[1] toWest Indian parents.[2] He was moved toOrlando, Florida, as a young child to live with his grandmother and aunt. Brady refers to his grandmother, Valerie Petersen, as his "mom", since she raised him.[3][4] As a child, Brady developed astutter. This led to him beingbullied by other children, which caused him a great deal ofanxiety.[5]
At 16, Brady started performing in community theater and in the Orlando improvisation troupeSAK Comedy Lab, where he first started developing his improv skills. He attendedDr. Phillips High School in Orlando, from which he graduated in 1989.
Shortly thereafter, Brady gained employment atUniversal Studios Florida, where he appeared in several projects, most notably two involving the character ofBeetlejuice. The first was a street show called "Beetlejuice: Dead in Concert", pitting the titular ghost against theGhostbusters (this is when the park still had the rights to the franchise), where Brady played Winston Zeddemore.[6] Later on, the "ghost with the most" was given his own stage show, "Beetlejuice's Rock 'N Roll Graveyard Revue", where Brady portrayedDracula.[7]
In 1996, he moved toLos Angeles, where he continued developing his acting skills.[8]
 | This section of abiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Wayne Brady" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Brady first appeared on national television as a recurring contestant on the sketch comedy competitionKwik Witz from 1996 to 1999, appearing most often as partners with Frank Maciel. Brady was one of theimprovisational theater performers in the original (British) version ofWhose Line Is It Anyway?, along withRyan Stiles,Colin Mochrie, and hostClive Anderson in 1998 when the last season was filmed in Hollywood, after which he became a regular onthe American version, hosted byDrew Carey.[9] In 2003, Brady won aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for his work on the show, the only person to win the award for a television series, as opposed to a special, sinceDana Carvey in 1993.[10]
He went on to star in his ownABC variety show in 2001,The Wayne Brady Show, and a daytime talk show of the same name in 2002, which lasted two seasons and won fourDaytime Emmy Awards, two of which went to Brady for Outstanding Talk Show Host. Brady guest-starred onThe Drew Carey Show in 1999 and 2000 to take part in "Drew Live" and "Drew Live II". On the show, Brady played several games taken fromWhose Line Is It Anyway? with other characters.
In 2004, Brady joined theBroadway revival ofChicago, playing the role of lawyer Billy Flynn. He appeared briefly in the final episode of the 2004 season of the comedyReno 911!. He guest-starred on theSci Fi Channel's hit seriesStargate SG-1 as Trelak, the first prime ofGoa'uld System Lord Ares. He made an appearance onChappelle's Show, poking fun at his squeaky-clean persona.[11] Brady co-wrote and sang the theme song for Disney's animated seriesThe Weekenders. In 2005, he sang and recordedJim Brickman's original Disney song "Beautiful" (a cover ofAll-4-One's 2002 hit "Beautiful As You") and its Christmas version.[12] In 2006, Brady became the host ofTV Land'sThat's What I'm Talking About, a talk show discussing the role of African-Americans in the entertainment industry. From August 29 to September 29, 2006, Brady hosted the Fox showCelebrity Duets.[13]
Brady made several guest appearances on the CBS sitcomHow I Met Your Mother, playing James Stinson, thegay brother ofNeil Patrick Harris's character,Barney Stinson.[14] Brady has also appeared as a guest star for the MTV showWild 'n Out and lent his voice to theAdult Swim showRobot Chicken. Brady guest-starred in theCBC comedyGetting Along Famously alongside hisWhose Line is It Anyway? costarColin Mochrie. He appeared on the episode "You Don't Know Jack" of the television showDirt and guest-starred on30 Rock as Steven Black, Liz Lemon's date for the Source Awards. He co-hosted the short-livedVH1 showVinyl Justice in 1998. In 2007, he starred in theABC Family filmThe List. He starred inFlirt, a comedy pilot which was not picked up by the network.[15] Brady guest-starred asJulius Rock's gifted younger brother, Louis, in the sitcomEverybody Hates Chris, and hosted a singing game show calledDon't Forget the Lyrics! onFox until its cancellation in June 2009. He performed "Wayne Brady: Making $%!^ Up" at theVenetian Hotel inLas Vegas, Nevada four nights a week.[16]
He appeared on two episodes ofKevin Hill. Brady's debut album was released on September 16, 2008. Brady's version ofSam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" earned him aGrammy Award nomination in theBest Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category.[17] Brady started hosting an updated version of the game showLet's Make a Deal for CBS in October 2009, which taped at theTropicana Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and currently tapes in Los Angeles. The show replaced the soap operaGuiding Light, which ended its long run. The original host ofLet's Make a Deal wasMonty Hall, who served as consultant for the new show until his death in 2017.Drew Carey currently hostsThe Price Is Right, and thus, both game shows in the CBS daytime lineup (as of September 2019) hold the distinction of being hosted by an alumnus ofWhose Line Is It Anyway? Brady was theguest host on the May 3, 2010, episode ofWWE Raw, where he was involved in an in-ring segment withEdge andRandy Orton, eventually getting RKO'd by Orton. Later that year, in August, Brady played Tom Collins in a staged production ofRent at theHollywood Bowl. The production was directed by Neil Patrick Harris.[18]
Brady appeared alongsideLet's Make a Deal announcerJonathan Mangum in two episodes ofFast and Loose, an improvisational series onBBC2 hosted byHugh Dennis, in January 2011. Then, withHolly Robinson Peete, he co-hosted the 42nd annualNAACP Image Awards on March 4, 2011.[19] On May 3, 2011, he appeared onDancing with the Stars as the lead performer in a tribute toJames Brown, celebrating what would have been Brown's 78th birthday in the Macy's Stars of Dance segment. He has also been a special guest ofDrew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza onGSN. Brady made a cameo in the 2011 song "Dedication To My Ex (Miss That)" byLloyd featuringLil Wayne andAndre 3000, narrating Lil Wayne's section of the song. He appeared as a special guest star in the March 14, 2012, episode of the TV seriesPsych.
Brady starred in the 2012 ABC improvisational comedy seriesTrust Us with Your Life and returned forThe CW's revival ofWhose Line Is It Anyway? in the summer of 2013.[20][21] Brady guest-starred as Don in thePhineas and Ferb episode "Where's Pinky?" on June 7, 2013, and from February 9 to 13, 2015,guest-hostedThe Late Late Show on CBS.[22] In November 2015, Brady replacedBilly Porter as Lola inKinky Boots on Broadway until March 2016.[23][24]
Brady assumed the lead role ofAaron Burr in thePrivateBank Theatre production ofHamilton in Chicago from January 17 to April 9, 2017.[25][26] In 2018, Brady began a recurring role in the sci-fi dramaColony as Everett Kynes, the administrator of the Seattle colony and creator of an algorithm used in sorting and identifying people.[27] On April 29, 2018, Brady won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host forLet's Make A Deal for the first time, after seven previous nominations.[28] In November 2018, Brady began making appearances as Dr. Reese Buckingham onThe Bold and the Beautiful.[29] On October 10, 2019, he was featured in a 30-minute YouTube documentary created by SoulPancake in collaboration withFunny or Die wherein a variety of comedians discuss mental health calledLaughing Matters.[30] On December 18, 2019, Brady competed onseason two ofThe Masked Singer as "Fox". He was named the winner of that season.[31]
Beginning in 2020, Brady plays a major recurring role during thethird season ofThe CW superhero drama seriesBlack Lightning as theDC Comics characterTyson Sykes / Gravedigger.[32] It was also announced that he had created a reality competition show to air onBYU TV calledWayne Brady's Comedy IQ, in which teens would be taught skills and compete in weekly challenges.[33] Brady later appeared as a guest panelist inseason four ofThe Masked Singer where he also sangMaroon 5's "Memories" as "Mr. TV" at the start of the sixth episode. On December 28, 2020, it was announced that Brady would star as Django in a benefit concert presentation ofRatatouille the Musical, aninternet meme that originated onTikTok, inspired by the 2007Disney/Pixarfilm.[34] The concert streamed exclusively onTodayTix on January 1, 2021, and raised over $1 million for The Actors Fund.[35] On September 8, 2022, Brady was announced as a contestant onseason 31 ofDancing with the Stars. He was partnered withWitney Carson and they finished in 3rd place.[36][37]
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Brady has been married twice. He married Diana Lasso on December 31, 1993. They divorced on September 21, 1995. On April 3, 1999, he married dancer Mandie Taketa. He and Taketa have one child, a daughter named Maile Masako Brady, born on February 3, 2003. Brady and Taketa separated on April 5, 2006, and Taketa filed for divorce on July 2, 2007. They have remained close friends and co-parents.[38] Brady learned that he has a son named Val Henry from his ex-girlfriend Tina, with whom Brady had an intimate relationship during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[39]
In 2007, Brady became an official supporter ofRonald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, the Friends of RMHC.[40]
In 2013,Bill Maher compared Brady to PresidentBarack Obama, in that, in popular culture, they were both supposedly "not Black enough". Brady took issue with this statement, suggesting that Maher should "be careful when [he makes] statements like that" because it will allow his viewers to make the same stereotypical assumptions about Black people.[41][42]
Brady has suffered fromclinical depression. On his 42nd birthday, in 2014, he had amental breakdown and later credited Taketa for helping him recover.[43]
In August 2023, Brady came out aspansexual.[44]
Brady is an honorary member of thePhi Beta Sigma fraternity.[45]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Clifford's Really Big Movie | Shackelford | Voice[46] |
| 2005 | Roll Bounce | D.J. Johnny Feelgood | |
| Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild | Reeko | Voice, direct-to-video[46] | |
| 2006 | The Adventures of Brer Rabbit | Brer Wolf | Voice, direct-to-video[46] |
| Crossover | Vaughn | ||
| 2007 | The List | Lewis | |
| 2012 | Foodfight! | Daredevil Dan | Voice[46] |
| 2013 | Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright | Brick Pimiento | Voice, direct-to-video[46] |
| 1982 | Alonzo | ||
| 2014 | The Hero of Color City | Blue | Voice[46] |
| 2015 | VeggieTales: Noah's Ark | Shem | Voice, direct-to-video[46] |
| 2016 | Todrick Hall: Straight Outta Oz | Todrick's Father | Visual album |
| 2020 | Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe | Stapler Fist | Voice[46] |
| Blindfire | Javon | ||
| WRZ: White Racist Zombies | Dr. Knowles | Executive producer | |
| 2022 | Blank | Henry | |
| 2023 | Self Reliance | Himself | |
| TBA | The Prince | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Superboy | John | Episode: "The Sons of Icarus" |
| 1993 | I'll Fly Away | Damon | 2 episodes |
| In the Heat of the Night | Henry Ulmer | Episode: "Hatton's Turn" | |
| Clarissa Explains It All | Pepe's Pizza Delivery Man | Episode: "Editor in Chief" | |
| 1997–1999 | Kwik Witz | Himself | Syndicated improv |
| 1998 | Oh Yeah! Cartoons | Blotto | Voice, episode: "Blotto"[46] |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK) | Himself | 3 episodes in Series 10 | |
| 1998–2006 2013–present | Whose Line Is It Anyway? (US) | Starring: Seasons 2–7, 9–; recurring: Seasons 1 & 8 Also executive producer (Season 9–) | |
| 1999, 2000 | The Drew Carey Show | "Drew Live" and "Drew Live II" (improv episodes) | |
| 2000 | Batman Beyond | Micron | Voice, episode: "The Call" |
| Geppetto | Lazardo V The Magician | Television film | |
| 2001–2004 | The Wayne Brady Show | Host | Variety show |
| 2002 | Miss America | ||
| 2003 | The Electric Piper | Sly | Voice, television film[46] |
| American Dreams | Jackie Wilson | Episode: "The One" | |
| 2004 | Chappelle's Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| Sesame Street | |||
| Going to the Mat | Mason Wyatt | Television film | |
| Reno 911! | New Jones - Deputy Culufu Garwood | Episode: "Department Investigation: Part 2" | |
| 2005 | Stargate SG-1 | Trelak | Episode: "It's Good to be King" |
| Kevin Hill | Pastor Jerry Carver | 2 episodes | |
| 2006–2008 | Everybody Hates Chris | Louis | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Getting Along Famously | Jackie Kinghorn | Episode: "Toucha My Hand" |
| Higglytown Heroes | Doctor | Voice, episode: "A Slippery Situation" | |
| Girlfriends | Derek Tyler | 4 episodes | |
| Robot Chicken | Pegasus 'Sunny Muffin', Salam Fayyad | Voice, episode: "Adoption's an Option" | |
| Shorty McShorts' Shorts | Cameron | Voice, 3 episodes | |
| 2006–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | James Stinson | 13 episodes |
| 2007 | 30 Rock | Steven Black | Episode: "The Source Awards" |
| Dirt | Henchman | Episode: "You Don't Know Jack" | |
| 2007–2009 | Don't Forget the Lyrics! | Host | |
| 2009–present | Let's Make a Deal | Executive producer (7 episodes) | |
| 2010 | WWE Raw | Himself | |
| 2011 | Fast and Loose | UK improv; 2 episodes | |
| Are We There Yet? | Devin | Episode: "The Man and the Bragging Snafu Episode" | |
| Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza | Himself | 5 episodes | |
| RuPaul's Drag Raceseason 3 | Himself/Guest judge | Episode: "RuPaul's Hair Extravaganza" | |
| The Fresh Beat Band | Mr. Fondu | Episode: "Pink Swan" | |
| 2012–2013 | American Dad! | Cuba Gooding Jr., Tungee | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Trust Us with Your Life | Himself | 7 episodes |
| Psych | Hilton Fox | Episode: "Shawn and the Real Girl" | |
| Key & Peele | Centipede Buddy | Episode #2.6 | |
| 2013–2018 | Sofia the First | Clover the Rabbit | Voice, main role[46] |
| 2013 | The Problem Solverz | Uncle Chocofuss | Voice, episode: "Alfe Has a Baby" |
| So You Think You Can Dance | Himself/Guest judge | 2 episodes | |
| Baby Daddy | Chase Baxter | Episode: "There's Something Fitchy Going On" | |
| 2013–2014 | Phineas and Ferb | Don the City Hall Tour Guide / various | Voice, 2 episodes[46] |
| 2013–2016 | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Himself | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | Hollywood Game Night | Episode: "50 Charades of Grey" | |
| So You Think You Can Dance | Himself/Guest judge | [47] | |
| Being Mary Jane | Sean | Episode: "Mixed Messages" | |
| TripTank | Narrator, Dicky, Dad | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| The BET Honors | — | Executive producer | |
| 2015 | The Late Late Show | Himself/Guest host | 5 episodes |
| Open Carrie | Stokley | TV short | |
| 2016 | Milo Murphy's Law | Eugene | Voice, episode: "The Doctor Zone Files/The Notes" |
| Aftermath | Lamar 'Booner' Boone | 2 episodes | |
| 2016–2022 | The Loud House | Harold McBride | Voice, 19 episodes[46] |
| 2017 | Drop the Mic | Himself | Episode: "Wayne Brady vs.Jake Owen /Kenny G vs.Richard Marx" |
| 2018 | Colony | Everett Kynes | 8 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Dr. Reese Buckingham | 41 episodes |
| 2019 | The Masked Singer | Fox/Himself | Season 2 winner |
| American Soul | Little Richard | Episode: "What Are You Looking At?" | |
| 2020 | Black Lightning | Tyson Sykes / Gravedigger | 4 episodes |
| Wayne Brady's Comedy IQ | Himself | 10 episodes | |
| The Neighborhood | Councilman Isaiah Evans | 2 episodes | |
| Hell's Kitchen | Himself | Episode: "Shrimply Spectacular" | |
| The Masked Singer | Himself/Mr. TV/Guest panelist | Season 4, episode 6 | |
| 2021 | Game of Talents | Host | Executive producer |
| Mixed-ish | Geoffrey | Episode: "Every Little Step" | |
| 2021–2022 | The Good Fight | Del Cooper | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Reggie[48] | Episode: "Peaches and Eggplants for Errbody!" |
| That Damn Michael Che | Dad | Episode: "Ballad of a Thin Man" | |
| Beat Bobby Flay | Himself; guest host | Episode: "Who's Wayne is it Anyway" | |
| Dancing with the Stars[49] | Himself | Contestant;Season 31 (3rd place) | |
| American Music Awards[50] | Host | ||
| American Gigolo | Lorenzo | 6 episodes | |
| The Cuphead Show! | King Dice | Voice[46] | |
| 2023 | Make Some Noise[51] | Himself | Episode: "'Not Really My Thing' by Harry Styles" |
| 2024 | After Midnight | Himself | Contestant; Episode 16 (Super Bowl special) |
| Wayne Brady: The Family Remix | Himself | Reality series |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon | Sparx | [46] |
| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Young Dumb & Broke" | Janitor | Khalid |
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Chicago | Billy Flynn | Ambassador Theatre[52] | Broadway |
| 2005 | - | US National Tour | ||
| 2010 | Rent | Tom Collins | Hollywood Bowl[53] | Los Angeles |
| 2014 | Kiss Me, Kate | Fred Graham, Petruchio | Pasadena Playhouse | Pasadena |
| 2015–2016 | Kinky Boots | Lola | Al Hirschfeld Theatre[54] | Broadway |
| 2016 | White Rabbit, Red Rabbit | Solo | Westside Theatre | Off-Broadway[55] |
| Merrily We Roll Along | Charley Kringas | Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts[56] | Los Angeles | |
| 2017 | Hamilton | Aaron Burr | PrivateBank Theatre[57] | Chicago |
| 2018 | Kinky Boots | Lola | Al Hirschfeld Theatre | Broadway |
| 2019–2020 | Freestyle Love Supreme | Self | Booth Theatre | Broadway |
| 2021 | Ratatouille the Musical | Django | Virtual concert | |
| 2022 | Kinky Boots | Lola | Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles |
| 2024 | The Wiz | The Wiz | Golden Gate Theatre | US National Tour |
| Pantages Theatre | ||||
| Marquis Theatre[58][59] | Broadway |
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Wayne Brady" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Albums
| Year | Album details | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Heat | ||
| 2008 | A Long Time Coming
| 157 | 20 | 2 |
| 2011 | Radio Wayne
| — | — | — |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Nominated | [61] |
| 2002 | Nominated | [62] | |||
| 2003 | Won | [63] | |||
| Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Talk Show Host | The Wayne Brady Show | Won | ||
| 2004 | Won | ||||
| 2009 | Grammy Awards | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Nominated | [64] |
| 2010 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Game Show Host | Let's Make a Deal | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Nominated | ||||
| 2012 | Nominated | ||||
| 2013 | Nominated | ||||
| 2014 | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Original Song | "30,000 Reasons to Love Me" forLet's Make a Deal (lyrics writer) | Won | |||
| 2016 | Outstanding Game Show Host | Let's Make a Deal | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series | The Bold and the Beautiful | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Outstanding Game Show Host | Let's Make a Deal | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | Nominated | ||||
| 2022 | Nominated | ||||
| 2024 | Broadway.com Audience Awards | Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical | The Wiz | Nominated | |
| 2025 | Grammy Awards | Best Musical Theater Album | Nominated | [64] |
My mother, Valerie Petersen, the best mother a guy could have.
Brady also credits his 72-year-old grandmother, Valerie Peterson [sic], who reared him and whom he affectionately calls 'Mom'...
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Host ofMiss America 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host,Daytime Emmy Awards 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by First Host | Host ofDon't Forget the Lyrics! 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofLet's Make a Deal 2009–present | Succeeded by – |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
