Wayne Brady Looks to Idol Robin Williams As Cautionary Tale
Emmy award-winning comedian and TV host Wayne Brady is taking a cue from his late friend and fellow professional funny guy, Robin Williams, on how to protect his inner peace.
Brady of Let’s Make a Deal and Whose Line Is It Anyway? fame came out publicly in PEOPLE as pansexual last August, which prompted the creation of his forthcoming reality TV series Wayne Brady: Family Remix, which promises to offer an intimate look at the star’s journey outside of the closet.
But it seems that over-publicizing his personal life has taken a toll on Brady’s well-being. In an exclusive clip shared by Entertainment Tonight, Brady tells his ex-wife (and current business partner) Mandie Taketa that he was “done” with the show. Taketa then responded that not only did he not need to continue with it if it “doesn’t feel safe,” but she also evoked his friend Williams, who died from suicide in 2014 following severe struggles with both his physical and mental health. “That could easily be you,” Taketa said.
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“When I lost Robin Williams, I realized that just because that person brings you happiness and they’re smiling and they’re laughing and they’re bringing you joy — it doesn’t mean that they’re feeling that joy in return,” Brady further reflected in a confessional. “And the bigger realization was that I was in that club.”
Brady previously told EW ahead of the docuseries’ premiere that Williams’ death was a wake-up call to take charge of his mental health: “If someone who brought so much light and love could leave us and suffer in silence, then I didn’t want to suffer in silence anymore. I’m glad that I got a chance … to really explain to him what he meant to me as a young actor and as a child.”
Brady also told the outlet that he felt life was “too short to live in a shadow” and that he hoped documenting his journey of self-discovery would empower others.
Taketa told Brady in the clip that she’s afraid that if he doesn’t take care of himself throughout the filming process, that he too could succumb under pressure. “You’ve been there before, where you’re just a second away from ending things for yourself,” she revealed.
