Wayne Brady admitted that he struggled with depression while filming his reality television show, “Wayne Brady: The Family Remix.”
The famous actor’s show centers around his personal life with his blended family, and he said filming opened up an opportunity for him to do some healing. The 52-year-old said much of his pain and struggle was captured while the cameras rolled, while speaking at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, California, on July 10, according to People.
“I’m glad that we also caught that on tape,” Brady said. “And I was so in the throes of this, oh, this darkness, this whole thing, that the only way that I felt that I could show up was I needed to be needed.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 18: Comedian Wayne Brady attends GLAAD’s 5th Annual #SpiritDay Concert at The Belasco on October 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Brady noted that being busy pressured him to keep focused on the task at hand, despite feeling vulnerable about sharing his personal struggles in such a public way.
“I’ve got to work,” he said.
Brady went on to describe the vast difference between his bubbly, chipper, on-stage persona, and how he really felt when the lights went out and he left the spotlight.
“I can walk on stage and be charming and affable and make you laugh and look in the camera and do my thing,” he said, according to People.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Wayne Brady attends the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 14, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Steven Simione/WireImage) Getty Images
“But the fact that that guy, and I even say it in the show, ‘I could make millions of people happy, but I would go home, and I feel like a piece of shit, and I couldn’t do that anymore,” Brady said.
Brady described the experience by saying he had a “weird” feeling and said that working on filming his upcoming reality television show ended up becoming an opportunity to document his “mental health journey,” according to People.
The famous comedian and actor admitted to not being his authentic self in the past, and noted that his mental health has since improved, as has his experience on-set of his many projects.
Brady said he’s “having more fun” on “Let’s Make a Deal,” and said this experience has allowed him to really “show up,” in a way that he hadn’t been able to in the past. (RELATED: ‘I Hung Myself’: Actor Alan Ritchson Describes Suicide Attempt)
“So, I hope that in any project I do [from] this point on is affected positively because I was able to be honest,” Brady said.
“Wayne Brady: The Family Remix” is slated for release July 24.
