Wayne Brady is a man of many talents and has achieved phenomenal success in his entertainment career.
However, he nearly went down a dark path earlier in his life, as he recently shared a story about one of his previous jobs.
He currently works as the host of Let’s Make a Deal on CBS and is preparing to finish his time on stage as the lead character in a Broadway revival of The Wiz.
Before that, Brady had a talk show and appeared on the wildly entertaining and popular Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which, along with his game show, earned him Emmys.
He recently stopped by the Questlove Supreme podcast to discuss his life, success, and earlier days with musician Questlove and his crew.
Recalling his past, Brady revealed he had “larcenous thoughts” at a job before any of his successful TV or acting gigs.
Wayne admits he almost had ‘larcenous thoughts’ at his earlier job
While appearing on QuestLove’s podcast, Brady talked about how he used to work at a popular toy store called Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby. These retail stores started in the 1970s and became a staple at shopping malls in the 1980s and 1990s.
However, the company declared bankruptcy in 2004 and 2008 and ultimately went out of business in 2009.
Brady revealed that his friend got him a job at one of the toy stores after high school. He said it was around when the Nintendo video game system arrived, and a buddy almost got him to steal some.
“For 10 seconds, I had a larcenous thought,” he said, revealing his friend suggested he “drop a few” Nintendos from the shipment out “back” of the store and “claim it as a loss as a theft.”
“I was like, ‘No!'” Brady revealed, adding, “I got the job so I could get the discount, and then I had a thought about taking the Nintendo.”
Brady revealed that despite the thoughts of stealing, he didn’t follow his friend’s plan.
“Never took it. Didn’t happen, but I felt so bad that I told Kenny, ‘Look man, I can’t work here because I think if I stay here another week, I might steal a Nintendo.'”
He’s since risen far above those earlier “larcenous thoughts” to achieve a successful entertainment career, including an upcoming reality show.
Brady revealed he was ‘always shy’ and dealt with ‘social anxiety’ as a kid
During another segment of Questlove’s podcast featuring Wayne Brady, he spoke about dealing with shyness and anxiety as a kid.
“I was always shy as a kid. I had a pronounced stutter because of now what you’d call social anxiety or stress,” he shared.
“And so I never wanted to talk a lot. I was very good at pulling my energy back, so you didn’t notice me,” Brady said, “and I was very socially awkward.”
Brady admitted he’s “still socially awkward” and often doesn’t go talk to other people who he’s a “fan of” because he has to “rehearse” how the conversation will go in his head.
Brady shared that he usually plans a quick exit if he talks to someone he admires, mentioning he’ll say one line he rehearsed to them, and then, hopefully, the conversation ends there so he can “dip out.”
Even with his anxiety, Brady admitted that his core gift is entertaining a room full of people and making them happy.
He continues to do that through Let’s Make a Deal, his upcoming family docuseries Wayne Brady: The Family Remix, and more projects that will likely arrive during his career.
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