From Stutter to Superstar: Wayne Brady’s Early Years
Born June 2, 1972 in Columbus, Georgia, Wayne Alphonso Brady was raised in Orlando by his grandmother, Valerie Petersen, whom he calls “Mom.” A painful childhood stutter and relentless bullying left him anxious and shy, but community theater at age 16 changed everything. “The stage was the only place I didn’t stutter,” he later shared. By 1989 he graduated Dr. Phillips High School and started performing improv at SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando—skills that would make him a household name.
Career Highlights & Salary Breakdown (2025 Update)
Brady’s big break came in 1998 on the British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? He won his first Primetime Emmy in 2003 and has hosted Let’s Make a Deal since 2009—currently pulling in about $75,000 per episode, totaling roughly $1.5 million annually. Add residuals, voice work (Clover in Sofia the First), Broadway runs, and the 2025 Grammy-nominated The Wiz cast album, and the math gets him comfortably to a $12 million net worth.
| Career Milestone | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Debut | Superboy (1990) |
| Breakthrough | British Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1998) |
| First Emmy | 2003 – Outstanding Individual Performance |
| Current Main Gig | Host & EP of Let’s Make a Deal (2009–present) |
| Broadway Debut | Billy Flynn in Chicago (2004) |
| Iconic Roles | Lola in Kinky Boots, Aaron Burr in Hamilton (Chicago), The Wiz (2024 tour) |
| 2025 Role | Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! The Musical |
| Reality Win | The Masked Singer Season 2 (2019) |
Wayne Brady’s Net Worth & Income Streams in 2025
| Source | Estimated Contribution |
|---|---|
| Let’s Make a Deal Salary | $1.5 million per year |
| Per Episode Pay | $75,000 |
| Voice Acting & Residuals | ~20% of total income |
| Broadway & Music | ~15% |
| Real Estate (Sherman Oaks home) | ~$2.5 million value |
| Total Net Worth 2025 | $12 million |
Married History, Kids & the “Core Four” Family
Wayne has been married twice. His first marriage to Diana Lasso lasted 1993–1995. He married dancer Mandie Taketa in 1999; they welcomed daughter Maile Brady (born February 3, 2003) and divorced amicably in 2008. Instead of drifting apart, they built what Wayne calls the “core four”: Wayne, Mandie, Mandie’s husband Jason Fordham, and Maile. In 2022, Wayne quietly welcomed son Val Henry with ex-girlfriend Tina Khoury—named after his beloved grandmother.
| Family Member | Details |
|---|---|
| Diana Lasso | First wife (married 1993–1995) |
| Mandie Taketa | Second wife (1999–2008), lifelong co-parent |
| Maile Masako Brady | Daughter, born 2003 (age 22 in 2025) |
| Jason Fordham | Mandie’s husband & Wayne’s close friend |
| Val Henry Brady | Son, born 2022 (age 3) |
| Tina Khoury | Val’s mother, former partner |
Dating Life & Pansexual Journey in 2025
After coming out as pansexual in August 2023, Wayne has been open that attraction for him is about “the soul, not the shell.” As of 2025 he is single and not actively dating, focusing on his kids and career. Past public relationships include TLC’s Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas (2014) and Tina Khoury. He jokes that dating at 53 feels like “improv with higher stakes.”
Height, Weight & Staying Camera-Ready at 53
Wayne stands an impressive 6 feet (183 cm) and maintains 165 pounds (75 kg) through daily yoga, plant-based eating, and dance rehearsals. That lean, energetic frame is part of why he can still pull off eight shows a week on Broadway and run around in crazy costumes on Let’s Make a Deal without missing a beat.
Mental Health Advocacy & Legacy
Brady has been candid about his decades-long battle with clinical depression, including a breakdown on his 42nd birthday. Today he partners with NAMI and speaks openly so fans know even the guy who makes millions laugh has dark days. His 2024 Freeform reality show Wayne Brady: The Family Remix showed therapy sessions, co-parenting wins, and raw emotion—earning praise for destigmatizing mental health in the Black community.
At 53, with a $12 million net worth, two beautiful kids, a chosen family that works, and a calendar booked through 2026, Wayne Brady proves that success isn’t just money or awards—it’s laughing through the hard parts and still saying “yes, and…” to life.
Sources & Further Reading:
Wayne Brady on Wikipedia •
Instagram @mrwaynebrady •
X (Twitter) @WayneBrady
