Wayne Brady, 52, Announces Birth of New Son Val

Welcome to Wayne’s world.

Wayne Brady reintroduces himself with his new Freeform reality series, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix. “I’m a lot of things to a lot of people,” says the actor, comedian, and TV host in the debut episode. “But so much of my life has been in secret.” Last summer, Brady came out as pansexual, defined as an attraction to people of any gender or regardless of gender. The series premiere follows Brady as he takes measured steps to let the public in on his truth. Another revelation is at the age of 52, Brady is a father again.

In addition to his 21-year-old daughter Maile, Brady has discovered that he is the father of a 6-month-old son, Val Henry. He welcomed Val with an ex named Tina, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship during the pandemic. “I was floored,” he admits. “Was I happy? No, because I was in shock.” Now, Brady tells Entertainment Weekly he’s ready to tackle fatherhood again. “I’m a proud father,” he says, adding about Val, “I want him to know that there’s no shame attached to him.”

Brady is ready to be transparent about it all, supported by his close-knit blended family/costars: ex-wife, best friend, and business partner Mandie Taketa; their actress daughter Maile; Taketa’s new partner and Brady’s former backup dancer Jason Fordham; and Taketa and Fordham’s young son Sunny, whom Brady co-parents as a duncle (dad/uncle).

Despite having been separated from Taketa for several years, Brady initially “hated” her relationship with Fordham, a backup dancer from his 2009 Las Vegas residency. He’d even threatened to kick Fordham’s ass. Brady acknowledges that this kind of “toxic” behavior is closer to the norm than not. “People break up and there’s a sense of not wanting to let the other person move on,” he tells EW. “Or you don’t move on. I was stuck in that space.” It wasn’t until daughter Maile sent him a video of people thanking the current partners of their exes that he realized he had to let go of that toxic masculinity.

Brady praises Fordham, noting his Golden Retriever boyfriend energy. “He’s a great dude and never spoke ill of me, never disrespected me in front of my daughter, and always respected her mother. How can I in good conscience see that and be mad about that? That’s to be celebrated.” Brady understood the need to change after Maile had to lie about the good times she had with her mother and her new partner. His acceptance also strengthened his relationship with Taketa.

Brady doesn’t worry about his daughter Maile following in his showbiz footsteps. A full-time college student studying theater at Los Angeles’ Loyola Marymount University, Maile is an actress, dancer, and singer who has appeared on episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful. “People make such a big deal out of it,” he says. “If it’s the family business, it’s the family business.” While Brady acknowledges the industry’s challenges, he has faith in his daughter. “She knows she has to put in the work, and she has a wonderful attitude about this,” he notes.

Brady is also transparent about being a father again. He acknowledges the anxieties over how the industry would receive his public coming out and reveals his readiness for another go at fatherhood. “I don’t want my son’s face all over social media because he’s a baby and didn’t choose that. But I’m a proud father,” he declares. “Anyone that knows me with Maile knows that, anyone that sees me with Sonny knows that. I love kids. My son Val is a blessing. And maybe his mother and I are not together in that way, but just like with Mandie, we’re going to co-parent.”

The rest of the season will follow the family as they create and work together, such as making a music video for Maile’s upcoming single. “It’s not always sunshine and roses,” Brady says. “Sometimes families get mad at each other. Sometimes we’re very petty to each other.” However, viewers will see the passion the Brady bunch has for each other.

The season promises uncharted territory. “I’ve already done the parenting thing once when I was 30,” Brady reflects. “What’s it like now? How has the parenting game changed? What’s the relationship like with myself and Tina, Val’s mom? What about Jason and Mandie? Is he going to propose to her? That’s something they talk about. What’s Maile going to do now with a little bit of freedom under her belt? We have a lot to show.”

Broadway enthusiasts can expect a cameo from Tony winner Ben Vereen, a fatherlike figure for Brady who appears to impart some advice. “I call him pop,” Brady says. “If anyone’s in the show, it’s because they genuinely are family.”

New episodes of Wayne Brady: The Family Remix drop Wednesdays on Freeform and are available to stream the next day on Hulu.

Source: Entertainment Weekly