WAYNE BRADY
We’re loving the new era of Wayne Brady. Known for comedy, acting, and a mastery of TV hosting, he rose to fame on the improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway? He went on to host The Wayne Brady Show, Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, and Let’s Make a Deal, winning five Emmys throughout his career. He’s even a talented musical performer, starring in Kinky Boots on Broadway and receiving a Grammy nomination in 2009. These collective skills helped him win The Masked Singer reality singing competition in 2019.
This year, Brady came out as pansexual, and he released a rainbow-filled video in which he lip-synched to Celine Dion in a wig to celebrate the moment. He says his coming-out checks off an item on “the bucket list that I didn’t knew that I had.”
“The accomplishment that I’m most proud of this year, I think is taking steps towards self-love and towards happiness,” he says. “Being able to share your truth, it’s a very undervalued thing… [which] has completely turned on a light bulb of all these possibilities that I have.”
Looking back on his biggest obstacle, Brady points to himself. “I didn’t realize that I was standing in my own way of being happy,” he shares. “And it makes complete sense now. How am I supposed to walk onstage and make people laugh if I can’t laugh? How am I supposed to make you feel good if I can’t feel good? It sounds very simple, but it’s really huge.”
And Brady has a message for the haters out there. “Just let people love who they’re going to love. In fact, I’m going to make a T-shirt up: None of your damn business, because it’s none of mine.” @mrbradybaby
DAVID ARCHULETA
Ever since publicly coming out in 2021, singer-songwriter David Archuleta, who first made a name for himself on American Idol season 7 in 2008, has been steadily becoming the exact type of out queer pop star that we’re still in need of — and one that we’ll happily always have a “Crush” on, to borrow a song title.
“I want to help build the bridge between the world I grew up in and loved with where I’m at in the queer community and what I love about life today,” Archuleta, once a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says about what’s on the horizon for his life and career after a banner year that included competing on , performing
