Wayne Brady Joins ‘Moulin Rouge!’ on Broadway: Everything Fans Need to Know About His Show-Stopping New Role

Wayne Brady is back in the headlines after an eye-opening new interview in which he admits that, in the early seasons of CBS’s daytime hit “Let’s Make a Deal,” some audience members and would-be traders arrived “drunk or high”—a scenario the quick-witted host says has thankfully fizzled out as the show matured. The five-time Emmy winner told PEOPLE at CBS Fest 2025 that the unscripted chaos of the revival’s first years sometimes meant wrangling inebriated contestants while simultaneously running lightning-fast improv games for television. “Energy is great,” Brady explained, “but listen to me and follow your gut—if you get zonked, do it on your own terms.” Those tips double as perfect advice for the hot-ticket studio audience; tapings for the 17th season resume in August, and tickets are already being scooped up by fans eager to out-costume one another. Broadway detour before the zonks Before he’s back in the big zonk door, Brady will spend late summer belting high notes in the Tony-winning musical “Moulin Rouge!” at New York’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre. His limited run, July 22–Nov 9, pairs him opposite fellow stage favorite Taye Diggs, making the jukebox extravaganza one of the most-anticipated Broadway swaps of 2025. Travel insiders say tourism searches for “Moulin Rouge tickets Wayne Brady” spiked within hours of the casting news, an early indicator that Brady’s theater stint could mirror his sold-out 2017 run in “Hamilton.” From coming out to coming into his own Away from camera lights, Brady continues to speak candidly about life after publicly embracing his pansexual identity in 2024. The comedian told BuzzFeed earlier this year that removing the “armor” of secrecy has translated into healthier dating and better comedy, noting, “I can improvise freely when I’m not hiding anything”. Mental-health advocates have applauded Brady’s openness; Google searches for “pansexual meaning” and “Wayne Brady interview” both peaked the week of his revelation, showing how celebrity transparency can fuel public education. Why fans—and SEO—can’t get enough • “Let’s Make a Deal contestants drunk” and “Wayne Brady tips for contestants” are breakout queries this week. • Event-driven searches such as “CBS Fest 2025 Wayne Brady panel” and “Wayne Brady Moulin Rouge dates” are trending upward, indicating evergreen interest in both his TV and stage projects. • Lifestyle angles—Brady’s co-parenting dynamic with ex-wife Mandie Taketa and his unscripted Hulu docu-series “The Family Remix”—continue to generate long-tail traffic, especially among audiences seeking inclusive family stories. What’s next Between eight shows a week on Broadway and daily pre-production meetings for Season 17 of “Deal,” Brady’s calendar leaves room for little more than a quick birthday getaway. Still, the 52-year-old insists he’s “ready to take on the next year” with the same improvisational gusto that made him a fixture on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” two decades ago. Expect social feeds to light up again when first looks from “Moulin Rouge!” rehearsals drop later this month—Brady’s dual life as game-show ringleader by day and Parisian cabaret impresario by night is SEO gold in the making. Key takeaway Whether he’s taming unruly costumed contestants, championing LGBTQ+ visibility, or dazzling Broadway audiences, Wayne Brady remains one of entertainment’s most versatile—and most searched—stars.