Wayne Brady's Unusual Relationship With His Ex Mandie Taketa Explained

Wayne Brady made headlines when he came out as pansexual in August. In an essay shared with People, the comedian wrote, "In doing my research, both with myself and just with the world, I couldn't say if I was bisexual, because I had to really see what that was, especially because I really have not gotten a chance to act on anything. So, I came to pansexual because ... to me, pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary." Brady first revealed the news to his ex-wife Mandie Taketa, with whom he shares his daughter Maile Masako. "I just said, 'Great.' As I knew coming out would help him be happier," Taketa shared.

Brady and Taketa divorced in 2007 after eight years of marriage. "From the ages of 26 to 36, my mind was completely in the building phase of 'I've got to blow up. I have to do this work. I have to get my name out there because that's the way that I can make a foundation for my family," the "Let's Make a Deal" host stated during Yelp's Black in Business Summit. Brady revealed that he was absent as a partner, which led to their divorce and shared that Taketa is still his "best friend in the world." In fact, the two are so close that Brady has a big role in Taketa and her boyfriend's child's life.

In September 2021, Wayne Brady's ex-wife, Mandie Taketa, announced that she and her boyfriend, Jason Fordham, adopted a baby boy named Sunny. "Our journey started on March 22nd, 2021. Ana invited us into her heart & asked us to parent Sunny. We encourage anyone in the process of adoption that you seek the stories of birth mothers and adoptees," Taketa shared on Instagram. She revealed that Brady was Sunny's godfather and stated, "He's going to spoil Sunny like crazy!"

Brady shared a video of him holding the adorable baby and revealed that he wanted to be called "Duncle" as he's planning on being a "daddy/uncle" to his godson. "All children will know is love if that's what you show them. I'm honored to be in his life as his 'Duncle' and I love Mandie and Jason for including me in their journey," he gushed.

Brady is not just super close to Taketa but Fordham as well. In June, the "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" star posted a pic of Fordham with his now-toddler and wrote, "Happy Father's Day @jasonmichaelfordham. What a joy it's been to watch you become a Dad to Sundance." He acknowledged his pal for being there for his daughter Maile, too. He added, "Field trips, video editing, an ear or shoulder when I wasn't around. I can never thank you enough." Since their divorce, Brady and Taketa have not only been awesome co-parents but best buds who work together.

Wayne Brady and Mandie Taketa are co-parenting goals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they made the decision to quarantine together with their daughter Maile and Taketa's boyfriend, Jason Fordham. "My ex-wife Mandie and I, we have a different — and I think a very special situation — than a lot of people that co-parent. Our daughter's 17, so it's also different than if she were, you know, five," Brady shared with Access Hollywood in 2020. He stated that he and Taketa co-parent as "best friends" and revealed, "Right now, we live virtually next door to each other, so our quarantining is a little different, we quarantine between both of our homes and I've got a big backyard and lots of land, so we both share this land and this space."

While some might think Brady and Taketa's relationship is unusual for exes, the actor told Page Six, "That's just our family. And we aren't like that because we put our daughter first. We are like that because Mandie, my ex, is also my best friend and she's my production partner. We have a company together, we work together, we love each other, we are a family." That love also extends to Fordham, who was Brady's backup dancer for his Las Vegas show. He admitted that it was difficult to accept Fordham and Taketa's relationship in the beginning. "[Mandie and I] weren't together, but yeah, it was hard because I'm human. But because I'm also human, I learned from it."