NEWSWayne Brady Explains How 'Hero' Robin Williams' Suicide Inspired Him to Come Out as Pansexual and Help Others With Mental Health
A big part of Wayne Brady's upcoming reality show, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix, focuses on bettering one's mental health — something he made a priority after his "hero" Robin Williams committed suicide in 2014.
In a new interview for his series — which debuts on Freeform on Wednesday, July 24 — the comedian touched on his admiration for the late actor and how Williams changed his life.
Wayne Brady called Robin Williams his 'hero.'
"I've been a fan of his since I was a child — of his imagination, of his love of life, of the spark that came into his eye whenever he created," the Whose Line Is It Anyway? lead shared. "It made me feel like I wanted to know what that feeling was like."
Brady recalled how during his youth, he sometimes had to spend days at a time in the hospital over lung and asthma issues, and on one occasion, his grandmother gifted him an action figure of Williams' alien character from Mork & Mindy. The toy helped him feel comfortable during overnight stays, and he shared that sentiment when he ran into the Mrs. Doubtfire star years later.
The beloved actor was 63 when he took his own life in 2014 after suffering from depression and substance abuse.
"I got a chance to tell him that story and he started to cry and hug me and I hugged him back," the actor spilled. "That's the cool thing about show business; sometimes you get a chance to meet your heroes."
Added Brady, "I'm glad that I got a chance in those handful of times to really explain to him what he meant to me as a young actor and as a child."
Brady came out as pansexual last year.
The TV host, 52, explained that Williams' suicide left him stunned, but it was also what sparked him to come out as pansexual.
"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," he explained.
The actor's death inspired Brady to help others with their mental health.
"I can use my platform and my family can use our platform to help others who may be in the same place," Brady continued. "A huge mental component comes from the unhappiness and a searching. In sharing my truths, that helps me. By sharing this stuff, I was making myself feel better, and if that can make you feel better [too], then it's a win all the way around."
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Entertainment Weekly spoke with Brady.
