Wayne Brady has recently revealed that he welcomed a baby boy named Val six months ago. On the premiere episode of “Wayne Brady: The Family Remix” on Freeform, the comedian admitted that the arrival of his son was unexpected, saying it was “not on [his] bingo card.” He shared his initial reaction, stating, “When I first found out … I was floored. A 51-year-old dad? I didn’t see it coming. So was I happy? No. Because I was in shock.”
Now 52, Brady is navigating the challenges of co-parenting Val with his ex-girlfriend Tina, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship during the pandemic before they eventually split. He questioned, “How do I co-parent with this person that I am not with and make this work?”
His ex-wife Mandie Taketa, 48, and their 21-year-old daughter Maile also had reservations about the news. Taketa mentioned that she and Tina “don’t get along” and provided a detailed timeline of the pregnancy. “Tina and Wayne had been broken up a year. Then [his] grandma Val passes away, so we go to her funeral in the Virgin Islands, then we come back. Something happened — you fill in the blank. Then, two weeks later, we get a phone call from Tina that she’s pregnant with Wayne’s baby.”
Taketa also revealed that they kept the pregnancy a secret from Maile due to her feelings towards Tina. She said, “Maile will say she warned Wayne about this happening,” and added that she “didn’t make eye contact with Maile for three months” while keeping the secret. Maile, as expected, was not “initially [feel] super happy” about her half-brother’s arrival and expressed concerns for her father. “Tina does not live her life in complete honesty,” Maile commented. “The string of events is suspicious. I don’t enjoy her presence.”
Brady and Taketa were married from 1999 to 2007. Taketa has since moved on with Jason Michael Fordham, welcoming a son, Sundance, in 2021. Despite their divorce, Brady and Taketa have remained close friends, even quarantining together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brady, who came out as pansexual last year, continues to navigate this new chapter in his life with the support of his family.