Wayne Brady does not fit neatly into one single talent box.
Maybe you loved his improv on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
or his singing and dancing in the Broadway show Kinky Boots.
Photo: Demetrius Fordham
Multi-talented and versatile, Brady exudes artist expression without limits.
It almost works to your benefit when you dont know how hard an industry it is.
Photo: Demetrius Fordham
At 16 years old, he performed in his first school play.
Photo: Demetrius Fordham
And I was so enamored; I fell in love, he says.
It was absolutely amazing.
It wasn’t until his 42nd birthday in 2014 that he first acknowledged a years-long battle with depression.
Photo: Demetrius Fordham
I think depression is an insidious beast.
Its an insidious disease that, in hindsight, I feel that I’ve always been depressed.
I now know that for years I had an imbalance that I just didn’t deal with.
Photo: Demetrius Fordham
There are days when it’s difficult to be sure.
And especially when folks are relying on you to make them feel a certain way.
However, during times when Brady experiencessymptoms of depression, it can take a toll.
“Just because someone makes you laugh doesnt mean that they can’t have an ordinary feeling.
They make you laugh because it’s their job.
Because its their calling.
It’s not a personality trait.
So, when someone asks, well, you must be funny at home.
Why are you sad?
No, because that’s my job, and I show up for my job, he says.
Brady cant pinpoint a time in his life when he started feeling depressed.
He says symptoms have always existed.
[It] wasn’t like, oh, just shake it off.
Oh, you’re having a bad day.
Oh, you’re just sad.
No, this is the real dealstick-with-you-24-hours-a-day, you-don’t-want-to-get-out-of-bed, you-can’t-function punch in of depression, says Brady.
The reality is everybody’s dealing with something every day.
Just because someone makes you laugh doesnt mean that they can’t have an ordinary feeling.
They make you laugh because it’s their job.
His ex-wife and business partner, Mandie Taketa pushed him to get help.
And this is the path that you go down when you don’t want to live.
And we are concerned, and I cannot stand by and watch you ignore this, he recalls.
He credits Taketa for ensuring he went to therapy.
Robin was someone that I respected greatly, [and I] was blessed to work with him.
I was touched by him my entire life.
He manages his depression with a combination of therapy and medication.
He also finds comfort and support in attending menssupport groups.
For instance, he makes his bed daily.
He views aging in a positive light, noting that 50 is the new 30.
We definitely take better care of ourselves than our parents did.
So, when youre a kid, and someone says, Oh, I’m 30.
As an adult, he knows thats definitely not true.
Finding joy in the things he enjoyed as a kid keeps him young at heart.
I am a gamer.
I love video games.
I love running around.
I love using my imagination to play, he says.
Thinking about others and leaning into personal kindness is part of his life plan, too.
He considers himself an advocate for theLGBTQ+community, womens rights, and kids of color.
He is partnering with the improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group Freestyle Love Supreme to establish an academy for kids.
He’s also busting downstigma related to mental health.
Being open also means being honest about the reality ofliving with depression.
Brady says every day is the opportunity to keep working on your mental health.
He’s using the platform on Dancing with the Stars to spread this message.
He believes the challenge that competing on the show ties in closely to the mental health journey.
I deal with issues ofimpostor syndrome.
I deal with expectations, he says.
By participating, he is breaking feelings of inadequacy and using the opportunity to discuss mental health.
[I] can continue the talk of awareness,” Brady says.
He knows that destigmatizing mental health goes beyond sharing his own personal experience, though.
He suggests that others consider an empowering approach to addressing mental health stigma.
[There] are people that look at this as not serious or as a moral failing.
That’s something that I had to learnto not be ashamed.
Shame will stop you from getting help and tending to your mental health, says Brady.
He is taking his own advice with his daughter.
In hindsight, he believes this was the wrong approach.
