Multiple Emmy award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated Wayne Brady has made his mark on stage and screen as an actor, singer, dancer, songwriter, and television personality.
A true multi-hyphenate, Brady’s career path and personal life journey have helped him see the world in a very unique way. His aspirations have always gone beyond solely starring in various entertainment projects, and under his Makin’ It Up Productions banner, he’s set out to create new content across different platforms that showcase innovation and inclusivity in fun and powerful ways.
A five-time Emmy winner (the first to win Daytime and Primetime awards in two consecutive years), Brady was also the only entertainer across the 2019-2020 season to have a presence across five different series (Let’s Make A Deal, The Masked Singer, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Black Lightning and Comedy IQ) – each spotlighting different aspects of his immense talent. All of this coming following on the heels of the success of his award-winning daytime talk show The Wayne Brady Show.
In addition to being a force in front of the camera, Brady is heavily active behind the scenes wearing the hats of executive producer for Whose Line Is It Anyway? Let’s Make A Deal and Comedy IQ, which he also co-created. He recently took on another dual role with Game of Talents, a new series that aired over the Spring on FOX, in which he starred and executive produced.
A writer across all of his various projects, one of Brady’s proudest accomplishments is his team-up with Dave Chappelle on Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show spoofing the film, Training Day. Co-written by Brady and Chappelle, the segment has been enshrined in the Museum of TV and Film as of the top sketches of all time.
Long an accomplished singer and performer, Brady’s musical acumen has always been a personal passion and he used that as fuel to help win the second season of The Masked Singer. Off his victory, Brady dropped a brand-new original single, entitled “Flirtin’ w/ Forever,” which quickly climbed the streaming charts, as well as an accompanying music video.
This follows the success of his debut album which was headlined by a version of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” which earned him a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category. Brady will release new music in 2021 centered around re-imagining the stylistic sounds of The Rat Pack, merged with the 1960s and today’s current up-tempo production.
Brady has also triumphed on-stage started with his Broadway debut starring as legal showman “Billy Flynn” in the long-running hit musical, Chicago. Soon after Brady starred as the ground-breaking character “Lola” in Kinky Boots, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein. His interpretation of the lead role was so popular, he returned for an additional limited run the following year. Brady would later assume his biggest theatrical role to date headlining as “Aaron Burr” in the Chicago production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning juggernaut Hamilton.
Last year represented the latest step in Brady’s career evolution as he took his talents to TikTok, amassing a stellar following in a short period of time. Whether utilizing the platform to raise awareness of important social issues or collaborating with his extended family, TikTok has helped him continue to reach and interact with new fans in surprising and innovative ways.
Wayne Brady currently resides in Los Angeles.
