Wayne Brady is proud to share his life experiences, no matter how unconventional. In his new reality series, “Wayne Brady: The Family Remix,” the multi-hyphenate star gives viewers an inside look into his and his blended family’s personal lives. In the show, which premiered on Wednesday, Brady and his family reflected on the moment in 2022 when they learned Brady’s ex-girlfriend, Tina, was pregnant.
“I happen to have a 6-month-old son that people don’t know about,” Wayne said during a confessional on the show, explaining how the two dated during the pandemic, per E! News. “When I first found out Tina was pregnant, I was floored. It was not on my bingo card: 51-year-old dad — brand new kid. I didn’t see it coming.”
Brady recalled learning about Tina’s pregnancy after returning from a trip to the Virgin Islands for his grandmother Valerie’s funeral. This partially inspired the co-parents to name their baby boy Val Henry when he arrived months later. Despite his initial shock at the news, Brady was adamant about making the family’s newest addition feel loved.
“I never want Val to grow up thinking that he should be ashamed or look back and go, ‘Oh, my dad didn’t want me,’ or he was ashamed of me,” Brady explained. “I want him, in his own way, to know that I love him as much as I love [my daughter] Maile, who is of me and that I had a part in creating…So I had to do that work.”
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The “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” star is no stranger to co-parenting. He raised Maile Brady with his ex-wife and good friend, Mandie Taketa, and her partner, Jason Fordham. Despite all their experiences as a blended family, Maile said the baby news “came out of left field in a lot of ways” and triggered a lot of “mixed feelings.”
“I learned this phrase: ‘Not my circus, not my monkeys,’ and I was like, ‘All right, cool. Have fun with that. I am 21 now. It’s not my baby,” Maile said, according to People magazine. “This is kind of an opportunity for all of us to grow up and see how that dynamic works as individuals.”
Brady says he’s already noticing changes within his parenting style.
“I’m super sweet because it’s the little guy…It’s a different type of parenting than when Maile was born because [Mandie and I] were together. … It’s a completely different form of co-parenting,” he said, explaining how he and Tina use technology like FaceTime to co-parent Val. “I’m going to nurture him, and I’m going to let him flower and let him do his thing. He will have boundaries, but he’s never going to grow up feeling like he can’t talk. To this day, I can recall when I know that I’m not supposed to speak. I can feel the tightness right here when I know that I’m supposed to just sit down and be quiet — and I don’t want that for him.”
