Wayne Brady may have gotten his start in comedy, but the adored media personality has excelled beyond it. After relocating from his hometown of Columbus, Georgia, to Orlando, Florida, as a child, he began expressing interest in acting, and by age 16, Brady was performing in the local theater community. He even joined an improv troupe, SAK Comedy Lab, which would help him later down the line with one of his biggest television gigs.
He branched out to portraying characters at Universal Studios Florida before relocating to Los Angeles in 1996 to begin taking his craft to the next level. This move paid off, with Brady becoming a recurring contestant on the sketch comedy competition Kwik Witz from 1996 to 1999. Well known for his own quick wit, let’s take a look at Wayne Brady’s net worth in 2024.
Wayne Brady’s Improv Skills Landed Him More TV Opportunities
Wayne Brady was a key figure in the British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1998, when the final season was filmed in Hollywood. Given his stellar performance, he was offered a regular role on the U.S. edition, which was hosted by Drew Carey. He was a reoccurring cast member along Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, and was the go-to for imprompu, improvised musical numbers. It’s unclear how much he made per episode, but in 2003, Brady landed a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.
In 2001, The Wayne Brady Show was born. The variety series was followed by a daytime talk show of the same name in 2002. Though the daytime conversational show only lasted until 2004, it made great strides, winning four Daytime Emmy Awards, two of them for Outstanding Talk Show Host. One of his biggest TV gigs to date is Let’s Make a Deal. He joined the revamped version of the game show in 2009 and remains the host. Brady reportedly brings home $75,000 per episode.
Wayne Brady’s Divorces Negatively Impacted His Income
Throughout the course of his life and career, Wayne Brady has gone through two divorces. Unfortunately for Brady, he was forced to chunk over a large portion of his money. Brady was married to his first wife, Diana Lasson, in 1993. Unfortunately, the pair divorced just two years later. The couple didn’t have children, but Brady was still ordered to pay her $10,000 a month in alimony.
He married his second wife, Mandie Taketa, in 1999. The pair share one daughter, Maile Masako Brady. Sadly, after nine years of marriage, the couple called it quits in 2008. As part of their settlement, Brady forked over a lump sum of $5 million and $25,000 a month in alimony. However, it’s unknown if he is still paying his monthly fee now that he and Taketa star alongside one another in the Hulu reality show Wayne Brady: The Family Remix. The show documents their co-parenting relationship and her relationship with her life partner, Jason, who also has a close relationship with Brady. Salary details are unknown, though given his illustrious history in entertainment, it’s likely Brady earned a handsome payday.
Wayne Brady’s Net Worth In 2024
Thankfully, the moves Wayne Brady made early in his career would help solidify his place in entertainment, earning him an epic net worth of $12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He’s kept himself a recognizable name in the industry, which supported his net worth even in the face of alimony payments and a costly divorce. With his Hulu reality show and surely more work to come for the actor and comedian, Wayne Brady’s net worth is sure to remain stable and growing for years to come.
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